Tales from the Fringe: Relentless Entanglements
by GandFindsman
Summary: The Duros Captain Marikk Danar and his crew have found themselves in some hot water before, but that's been nothing compared to the situation they become embroiled in after accidentally picking up a scientist on the run from the Empire.
1. Chapter One

"_Unidentified vessel, this is the Imperial Star Destroyer _Abdicator_. You have entered a restricted area. Please lower your shields, halt your engines and prepare to be boarded."_

Worried faces glanced back and forth as the announcement echoed over the comm system, each unsure of how to proceed.

"Alright crew, pop quiz time," the captain said as he worked furiously at the ship's controls. "An Imperial Star Destroyer is on your tail and ready to take down your ship, what _do_ you do?"

"Stay far enough ahead to avoid their tractor beams, look for a free opening and jump to hyperspace?"

The captain, a Duro, cocked his head to the side and looked quickly to the corridor behind him where his Rodian comm officer sat. "Logical, Crae, but no good at this point. We're already within tractor range. Anyone else?"

"We could turn about, charge forward full speed with canons flaring. Of course, that would be…"

"…suicide, absolute suicide. You're right, Abras. Next?"

From the captain's left, a pale Quarren rotated around from his console, but just enough that he could keep within quick reach if need be. "Perhaps we could let the ship get pulled in by their tractor beams close enough to be within their shields and fire a torpedo straight into the projector."

"Well, then…that's quite a risky maneuver there." The captain paused, cupping a blue hand over his chin. "Chance of success is…."

"…minimal at best," the Quarren remarked.

"But still better than getting 'vaped or facing a blizzard of stormies. Craeldo, open a channel to the Imps, audio only."

"Channel open, Captain Marikk."

"_Abdicator_, this is Captain Danar on board the cruiser," he paused a moment, trying to get the right amount of hopelessness to sound in his voice, "I sincerely apologize for entering the region, merely a mistake of navigation, I assure you. Seeing as we are left with no options in light of your _great _power, and are at your mercy, we submit to your requests. Powering down now."

With a motion of the hand, Marikk had his crewmen lower their shields while he cut power to the engines. Within seconds, the old Republic cruiser buckled a bit as they were snatched into the clutches of the tractor beams and slowly towed towards the destroyer's docking bay. Anxiously, he watched as the destroyer grew ever closer with the passing seconds, the tension mounting as the crew stood ready to pounce. 500 meters….400 meters…..300….200….

"Now, Sillek, fire torpedoes!"

With a flash, the twin orbs of light fired from the cruiser's forward batteries, those closest to the projectors, and detonated against the twin orbs embedded just outside the bay. The Star Destroyer shook at the impact as a great blaze filled the stern side and inside of the bottom cavity, sending debris flying away at an incredible speed and rolling the mercenary cruiser into a descent, causing it to drift away at an awkward angle.

"Now, shields up! Let's get outta here!" With fingers flying, the captain moved across the navigation board, moving the ship out of their plummet and accelerating forward, opposite the way they had been traveling. Almost immediately, the Imperials responded as their turbolaser batteries blazed to life and filled the area with the sizzling green bolts of energy. "Everybody hold on to something, I don't have time for neatness. We're gonna have to make a blind jump."

Though there were some protests coming over the comms, the captain knew that either way could mean certain death, but this was their best chance. Anyway, better to let a star or a planet have their deaths if it must happen than to give the Imps the pleasure.

Reaching over, he pulled down the activator lever on the boards and watched as the stars began to wrap around them, launching the crew of the _Nova Hound_ into the unknown void.

* * *

Leaning back in his chair, Marikk could do nothing but sigh happily and close his eyes in rest. It had been at least an hour since they reverted back to real space just off the Rima Trade Route, near Sullust. Such trips into heavily guarded territories, such as they had just had, he tried to keep at a minimum, unless whoever was paying them was paying them BIG or something special was involved, and this prize was most special.

When he finally opened his eye once more, he smiled as he saw that great expanse of stars through the front viewport, the peace and utter quiet as they drifted there. Of course, they really couldn't do anything but drift until repairs were made to the engines. Despite what he had previously thought, the _Hound_ had taken a bit more damage than any of them wanted.

"I guess we really should be happy we didn't come apart when I made that jump," he muttered quietly under his breath, drifting in his rested daze.

"Captain Danar!" The sounds of the voice, breaking his wonderful silence, nearly made him jump out of his seat, but knowing to whom the voice belonged and most likely what was coming made him want to cringe.

Spinning his seat around, he looked up into the crimson Neimoidian Duros eyes of his cousin, the crew's financial advisor, and flashed a coy smile to try and disarm him.

"Why, Loon, to what do I owe the pleasure."

"Are you out of your little blue mind, Marikk!? Do you realize the danger you put me through back there!?" His eyes flared with that last comment, a fire which seemed to remain throughout his whole tirade. "It's a capital offense to traipse about restricted Imperial space like that! You know prison is not a hospitable place. What would I do!?"

"Well, I'm certainly glad you're concerned about everyone's well-being, Loon. Truly, heart-warming." He couldn't help but grin as he watched Loon pace and flail about before him, spouting off every concern that seemed to enter his head. His grin, however, was the pseudo-grin of one who desperately wanted out of his present situation. "Last I checked, though, Cousin, mercenaries weren't exactly always the most law abiding people in the galaxy, not to mention that we _have_ been in worse straights then that. And anyway, we are alive aren't we?"

"And what about repairs? Our finances are getting awfully thin. We haven't had a good job in weeks. I hope this...whatever it was… we picked was worth the expenditure."

"Oh, indeed it was…300-year-old Vhasarian ale is not something you can get just anywhere, you know. It was at a great expense that I was able to get this for myse….for the crew."

The half-Nimoidian's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets when he heard what they had taken on board and were nearly killed for.

Leaning into the captain's face, he let all fly loose what he felt. "Ale…ale…you mean to say that we risked life and limb for some stupid? We SPENT money on a trip into Imperial territory and had some serious damage inflicted on this already crumbling cruiser for some _alcohol_! Have you….I mean, do you……Agggh! We're getting down to our last reserves, financially speaking, Marikk! You dragged me on this little pleasure trip saying we'd be rolling in credits."

With a brief pause, He reached into his robe and withdrew a datapad from a hidden pocket, and nearly shoved it into his cousin's face. "Well, where are they!? I don't see credits, do you see credits? Where are they, Marikk? What are we going to do!?"

Pushing the pad from his face, Captain Danar stood, wrapped an arm around his taller cousin's shoulder and led them both down the bridge's corridor to the lift tube.

"Listen, Loo, you're looking at things a little too grimly. Yes, our funds are running low, but I have Craeldo checkin' the nets as we speak and searchin' his contacts. He's a crafty guy, he'll get something good. Now look, you're doing a great job as our financier, as I knew you would, but leave the worrying to the big guys. We'll be fine, I assure you. Trust me."

And with that note hanging in the air, Marikk slipped his arm away from Loon, jumped into the open lift and disappeared, leaving his companion standing there in silence.

* * *

In a huff of exasperation, Loon gathered his green and crimson robes around him, and marched off the lift, bounding into the crew lounge. Several other of his crewmates sat around at the scattered table, taking advantage of their brief freedom before they had to get back to their work.

Abras Seaskimmer, a human jack-of-all-trades, and Shalla Zarr, the Twi'lek medic, sat huddled in the far corner table from him, quietly chatting. Dormanin, the Vurk chief mechanic, sat overflowing on two seats, reading from a datapad dwarfed in his hand. Sillek, the white-skinned Quarren weapon's master, was there as well and sat at the table closest the Neimoidan half-breed, his two pale hands reaching out from under his consuming cloak and lifting up the glass of steaming tea to his lips. All watched cautiously as Loon entered and dropped heavily down on his seat.

"That bubble-headed conman!" he steamed, crossing his arms over his chest. "He thinks I can't see through this charade of his. He's got nothing planned for us. We're just drifting, physically and metaphorically. I knew this was a mistake…."

"I'll take a shot in the dark and say that you're conversation with the Captain didn't go well," Shalla called, turning slightly in her seat to face towards Loon.

"He _says_ he's working on it. He _says_ he's looking for work. He _says_ to not worry about it, but these so-called promises of his are neither repairing the ship nor filling our accounts with credits."

A few slithering words and barks echoed from Dormanin at the room's center, quickly translated into understandable basic by the small unit hooked onto his hip. "I trust, Captain Marikk," it stated in its crackling mechanical voice. "He hasn't lied to us yet. He has always come through when it counts."

"Blind faith. I say he was just trying to save face so that he could run back to his quarters to hide. He's so irresponsible sometimes, always has been. I knew it was a mistake to come on this little 'adventure' of his…."

"I happen to know for a fact that Craeldo is off in his quarters getting in touch with his contacts, _as per_ the Captain's request." Sillek raised his head from his glass momentarily and let his ice blue eyes lock onto the Neimoidian. "Thus I suggest you quit your meaningless grumbling and either quiet down, change the subject, or leave, lest you ruin the tea and the peaceful atmosphere any further. I would have thought you, as family, would have tried to have exercised the most faith in, or at the most restraint towards, your cousin, at least around the crew, but what can I say, then. Neimoidians shall be Neimoidians."

With lower lip extended, Loon said nothing in response to the Quarren's rebuke, merely glanced off to the side, sulking. "Well, anyway…..Obbeo, where are you!? I hope you've got my dinner near ready! I sent down the order nearly half an hour ago."

"Yes, yes, keep your pants on." Almost at beck and call, a squat blue Ortolon waddled his way through the side entranceway, serving tray pressed up against his red silk chef's outfit. Wrinkling his trunk, he dropped the plate down in front of the accountant, a bit of food splashing onto the table as he then placed down a mug of Corellian cider and the utensils. "May my fine food hang in your gullet, you unthankful grub."

With an obscure wave of his hand under his trunk, Obbeo turned on heal and disappeared the way he came, mumbling under his breath as he returned to the galley.

Sighing, Loon picked up his fork, pierced a piece of bantha meat and lifted it to his mouth. "What in the world have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

Marrik slipped the heavy blue jacket from his shoulders and laid it gently across his bed, rubbing his temples and turning on some soft Jizz music to calm his nerves. He never liked these confrontations with his cousin, and sadly they seemed to be increasing as their time together progressed.

He knew Loon had grown accustomed to a steady income from his accounting practice on Muunilist, and that the credits weren't exactly rolling in for them now. A greater income of credits was the number one reason his half-Neimoidian cousin had agreed to come on board to begin with; besides the fact that he knew deep down Loon was showing a rare expression of familial compassion in joining the Mercs so that start Marikk could start a new life for himself.

A sullen look upon his face, the Duro pulled out a glass from his cabinet, poured himself a glass of his newly acquired ale and dropped onto the couch, sitting and facing the sealed doorway. He would be the first to agree with Loon that business was far from what he had envisioned it to be.

With the war between the Rebellion and the Empire, he figured the needs for more 'unregulated' business would be booming, whether smuggling or body guarding or whatever they might be needed for. Instead, it seemed to be quite the opposite, at least in his regard. Were people simply too afraid of the wrath of the Empire to deal with the likes of mercenaries? From what his own connections would tell him, others seemed to be doing quite well for themselves. But his crew …

His crew. They were a fine assembly from all walks of life and from all corners of the galaxy. Each was either a personal acquaintance or the friend thereof, all excellent in their respective fields. In his opinion he had formed one of the best groups he knew of navigating the stars. "Marikk's Mercs", second to none. If ever there was a motivation to do the best job he could, his crew was it. Each had their own lives and their own obligations, but had laid them down to follow him on what was quickly becoming a fool's errand.

His eyes scanned the amber liquid in his hands and then narrowed them in disgust. Even if it was fine liquor, was it REALLY worth the cost, of both their dwindling credits and the potential loss of life, to stare down the Empire in order to obtain it?

"Blast it all," he muttered, reaching over and pouring his liquor back into its flask.

The last drop had just fallen into the pool beneath it when a voice called for the Captain in the midst of his melancholy meditations. _"Marikk, you there? Cap'?" _

"Ahh, Crae, yours is a voice for sore ears," the captain quipped, unclasping the comlink device from his belt and raising it to his mouth. "Please tell me you have good news."

"_Yes, yes, indeed I do, oh my captain. I came up with a lot of bad turns in my search, but at last I've finally found us something. It's not much, just a ferrying job."_

Marrik could only chuckle under his breath. "Hey, as long as it brings in some credits, I don't care what it is at this point, my Rodian friend. What can ya' tell me?"

"_Well, have you ever been to Brentaal?"_


	2. Chapter Two

The crimson sun was low on the horizon as the city of Oradin came into view, shadows heavy in the details of the city as people still bustled about the street. All landing procedures complete, the _Nova Hound_ began to slow as it lowered closer to the docking bay. Steam hissed from its body as the ship finally touched ground and moaned slightly as it came to a rest, a small piece of the black with blue trimmed hull plating dropping to the ground with a loud clatter that scared away a few vermin creeping in the shadows. The inner machinations of the craft began to whir and steam puffed out once more as the landing ramp achingly descended and three silhouettes appeared from the lighted interior and exited. It was Captain Marikk who took the lead, hands tucked away in the pockets of his jacket, with Sillek and Craeldo closely in tow.

Marikk glanced about from side to side and then reached an arm behind his neck and stretched. "Well then, where to, Crae?"

"Hmm, let's see." The Rodian scanned the flimsiplast printout he had been carrying and studied his notes. "Villie didn't tell me much, only that the contact would meet us at a tapcafe next to the docking bay's admin office. Apparently our friend has made trouble with the local authorities and needs emergency passage off Brentaal to Tatooine, no questions asked."

"And as for our payment?"

"Will be transferred to our account as soon as we reach Tat."

With a broad smile, the captain patted Craeldo on the shoulder of his leathery, scale-like long coat and waved them all on. "Well then gentlemen, what say we get a drink and see what becomes of our friend, whoever it is."

* * *

Night came soon after the trio had departed, leaving the area now bathed in the bright luminescence given off by the city's buildings. The _Lonely Chuba_ tapcafe was bustling with activity, and with the blaring sounds of some unidentifiable music and the cheers and jeers of blastball fans inside, Crae, Sillek and Marikk decided to take to a small, umbrella-shielded table on the front patio. A lone ebony MixRMastR bartender waded through the air out of the bar's main entrance, photoreceptors glowing in the dark as it made its way and finally came to rest upon their table. A compartment in the droid's chest slid open and a small tray extended, the three drinks resting upon it, not a drop spilled.

"Here you go, sirs," the droid warbled in a deep, monotone voice. "One Chandrilan Herb Tea, one Elshandruu Pica Thundercloud, and one Jargridian Brandy. Thank you very much, sirs."

Reaching into his pocket, Marikk withdrew a few credchips from his pocket and placed it on the droid's tray before taking the drinks and dispersing them accordingly. The droid seemed to perform a brief bow upon its receipt of the credits and then returned back into the cafe. Glass in hand, the Duro lifted it into the air, quickly being joined by Sillek's tea and Craeldo's Thundercloud, brief illuminations of red and blue appearing at random in the thick foam of the drink. "Down the hatch, boys!"

"Do we have any idea when our guest will be arriving?" Sillek inquired, lifting the tea up through his high collar and sipping it slowly.

"No, not really," Craeldo replied. "He knows who to look for, so once he finds us we'll know."

"Well then, guess we best get comfortable, since we don't know how long we shall be waiting."

Craeldo eased back in his seat, slipping the jacket off his shoulders, and dived snout first into his drink, much to the humor of the captain. "Whoa there, boy, slow down. I'd like you at least half sober in case some trouble goes down."

With a nod he withdrew his mouth from the brew and wiped a flashing mustache from his snout. Almost simultaneously, an older looking human came running into the area and crashing into their table, sending the Thundercloud flying. The old man, a rather clean-cut looking fellow with stark white hair, neat looking tan dress and a small wooden box under his arm, jumped to his feet and quickly grabbed onto Crae's shoulder. "My pardon, sir, but please, you must help me! There are men pursuing me and I must get as far away from here as quickly as I can."

Wrenching free of the old man's grasp, he slipped his jacket back on as he and his compatriots stood to their feet. "Ah, you must be our man. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I am Craeldo, Villie's contact, and these gentlemen are Sillek, our unofficial chief of security, and Captain Marikk Danar, our group's lead."

Sillek bowed his head curtly as Marikk stretched out his hand and took the gentleman's hand in greeting. "Yes indeed, a pleasure, really, mister….."

"Professor….Professor Constantin Ardina." He looked quickly from side to side, checking out the area, seeming rather agitated as he spoke. "It is a pleasure to meet you all, truly, but we mustn't tarry too much longer or we may be…"

"You there! Halt!"

With a cringe, all four of them turned to see a stern faced Imperial officer come running up the avenue between the caf and the docking bay, followed close behind by a contingent of twenty stormtroopers.

"…caught by the Imperials."

The crowd that had congregated both inside and outside the _Lonely Chuba_ quickly dispersed upon the appearance of the Imperial troopers, leaving but the professor and the three mercenaries as the center of their attention. Marikk slapped his hand upon his forehead and shook his head, "Not the Imperials AGAIN!"

"Stay where you are! By Imperial decree, I place you all under arrest. Lay down your weapons, step forward with your hands up and no one will be hurt."

"Well then, sir, with all due respect to Imperial law, sir," Marikk began, a wry grin upon his face as he raised one hand above his head, unholstered his blaster and went to lower it upon the ground. However, at the last moment, he jerked his pistol up, shot and blasted down two of the umbrellas on the other tables between them and the troopers providing some cover to escape, "I'm afraid we can't stay for your little party. Sorry."

A flurry of crimson bolts ripped through the area, quickly leaving the fallen umbrellas and anything else they came in contact with in shreds, as Marikk and company broke away at full speed for the docking bay, returning fire as they ran.

"Man!" Captain Marikk yelled, diving in through the bay's entranceway. "What is it with us and Imperials lately?"

Craeldo smiled, taking the opposite side of the doorway from Marikk as the Quarren and the professor made their way through and sprinted for the ship. "Guess we're just lucky."

"Yeah, well let's see how our luck holds out." Shooting off a few more blasts, the Duro backed up from his position and sprinted towards the landing ramp. "Now let's get outta here!"

Racing to the lift tube and up the ship's four levels, Captain Marikk ran as quickly as he could down the bridge corridor and almost literally leapt into his seat. His fingers flew from switch to button across the control board, and, with his natural piloting skill as a Duro, making a job that would have originally taken two into a job for one. Holding down the main button upon the comlink, he pulled back on the controls and activated the engines. "Everybody hold on to something," Marikk called out, still working away. "We're gonna have to make a quick exit."

The ship's engines whirred to life as the ship slowly began to take off, but within a few gut wrenching seconds, they dropped back down from what little altitude they had gained and impacted with the ground, a resounding crash echoing both inside and outside the ship. The hull let out a moan as it protested the sudden stress put upon it as smoke began to fill the bridge. The captain's heart sank. "Dorm, what's going on down there!? What happened!?"

"_I am working on it_," the translator came back over the speaker moments later, the clanging of tools and parts dropping to the deck plating echoing in the background. "_I'm afraid my former repairs were quite slipshod before, for I was just trying to get us going. Apparently we are paying the price for that mistake now_."

"Great," Marikk muttered, dropping back from the controls into his seat with despair. "Well, is everyone else fine?"

"_Physically, yes,_" came Sillek next, his tone sounding dire, "_but we now have a bigger problem._"

All he could do was laugh in self-defeat as the captain watched the smoke billow around him. "Well, what's problem number two?"

"_I am in the doorway to the lower lounge. We've got Stormtroopers coming up the entry ramp and into the vestibule. There's about six thus far._"

"I'm gonna need you to handle them, Sillek. We gotta give Dormanin as much time as he needs to get the engines repaired."

"_I will do as you say, Captain._"

Standing back to his feet, Marikk leaned over the control console and peered out the front viewport. To his sadness, the contingent that had followed them from the tapcafe now looked to have been joined at least ten more troopers, all of which were now surrounding the ship. "Well, let's just hope we have long enough."

* * *

From the shadows of the lounge entranceway, the Quarren peered out, his face mostly covered by the high collar of his cloak as he watched the incoming invaders.

"Fan out across the ship," the voice of the Imperial officer called out from below the entry ramp. "Find Professor Ardina. Take those who come peaceably into custody. Kill any who resist."

The trooper closest to the ramp saluted, rifle in hand, giving a brisk "Yes, sir" and then turned to pass on orders to the rest of his compatriots. Sillek's blue eyes narrowed as he observed the crowd and listened intently to their plans. He knew he had to stop them before they entered the lift, for it would only complicate matters if they actually made it to the rest of the ship. Therefore, there was only one course of action left for him to take.

Silently he strode out of the entranceway, as if materializing from the shadows. His evergreen cloak flowed down over his body, leaving only his head and the bottom of his legs visible as he moved forward. The suddenness of his appearance caught the stormtroopers completely by surprise as all six snapped to attention and readied their weapons.

"You there, raise your hands into the air and lay down any weapons."

Sillek said nothing, merely continued forward to the center of the chamber in which they stood and froze. The lead trooper, obviously growing agitated, motioned his troopers in as they formed a tight circle around him.

"I'll say it again, raise your hands in the air and lay down your weapons!"

Again, Sillek said or did nothing, merely observed the white armored soldiers around him with his ice-blue eyes. The tenseness of the situation was near tangible as the leader once more spoke up.

"This is your last warning! _Raise_ your hands, _lay down_ your weapons and you _will not_ be harm- -"

Before the stormtrooper captain could complete his statement, the Quarren mercenary made his move. With a motion as quick as lightning and as fluid as water, his cloak flew open and the sword which had been hidden at his side was unsheathed in a gleaming flash. The stormtrooper immediately in front of him was at a loss as the barrel of his rifle dropped to the ground, resounding like thunder in the silence as it impacted with the deck plating. Then, almost as quickly, the room erupted into blaster fire at the command of the leader.

In the initial chaos, two troopers found themselves at the wrong end of their allies' assaults as they crumpled to the ground, blast marks smoking upon their chest plates, as Sillek took to the air. Landing behind the first trooper he had disarmed, back to back, he flipped his sword backwards in his hand and stabbed under his own arm, piercing the trooper at the back base of his ribs. He then, in a continuously fluid motion, spun around and slashed perpendicularly against the soldier's lower back. The sickening crack of the blade against the arm seemed to drown out the sounds of incoming blasts as they impacted with this trooper's chest as well. Making the most of the moment, Sillek used the falling trooper as a springboard; split kicked two other troopers in front of opposite walls while in the air, and landed staring face to face with their captain.

It was a tense situation as the two warriors circled each other, ready to strike at any second. Then, without moment's notice, three almost simultaneous blaster bolts rang from his rifle barrel but were quickly deflected by the near invisible maneuvers of the Quarren's blade. Sillek then did something unexpected, which sent a chill through the Stormtrooper's body. Eyes examining the blade momentarily as wisps of smoke rose from small scorch marks, he returned his gaze to his opponent, lowered his sword with both hands to his right side, parallel to the ground, and gave a ghastly grin, as best he could, as he curled his tentacles up. Shifting his feet, ready to charge forward, his stance was thwarted as the entire ship began to move, the engines humming to life as she began to take altitude once more.

"_That is it! I have got it!_"

Captain Marikk almost squealed with delight over the comm, coming on only seconds later after Dorm. "_Hold on, everyone, we're gonna try this again!_"

Those gathered in the vestibule were thrown about, the bodies of those who couldn't hold on to anything sliding out the entryway and down to the ever distancing docking bay. The leader and his two remaining compatriots, those two still dazed, grasped onto whatever they could on the wall, the same as Sillek, as the ship took an almost a completely vertical ascent into the Brentaal sky. When one of the two tried to raise his blaster, the weight of both armor and equipment caused him to loose his grip and he fell into the air, a well timed kick from Sillek making sure that he too would promptly exit their ship.

As they finally leveled out, the one remaining trooper besides the captain dropped to his feet and charged forward almost immediately, swinging his rifle to club the Quarren over the head, but, aware of his approach, Sillek quickly ducked, tripped him and sent the trooper over his back to slam into his commander and into the wall beside the opening, slowly being pulled by the pressure out by the vacuum. Seeing his chance, Sillek reached down and grabbed his comlink. "Captain! Pull the ship into a vertical ascent one more time!"

Nearly immediately, the perspective of the room changed once more and the merc flew backwards, pounding against the wall closest the lounge entranceway. His was a better fate as, at the same time, both troopers slid from their place and out the entryway, resigned to their fate far, far below.

The ship, again, returned to normal within a minute or so and Sillek stood from his crumpled position and stretched, cracking his back slightly before, with feet firmly against the ground, he made his way over and slammed his fist into the door controls, sealing the entry hatch. A pleased sigh escaped his mouth as the pressure in the vestibule returned to normal. Picking his sword up from the ground, he slowly re-sheathed it, closed his cloak around him once more and made his way to the lift tube. For now, at least, the trouble was over.

* * *

The air held an icy chill deep within the shadowy, cavernous chamber. The boot- clicks echoed in the stark silence as a lone figure, draped in black, made her way down the central pathway to where rose a central black dais high into the air. She lowered herself and kneeled at the bottom step of the platform, a single lock of copper hair falling from beneath her hood.

"You have summoned me, Master?"

"Yes." The cold rasp echoed through the chamber as the throne planted upon the center of the dais rotated around without motion from its occupant, framed against the nighttime expanse of Imperial Center through the viewport behind it. From the darkness, the deathly pale face of the Emperor stared down at her, his yellow eyes piercing her very soul from their aged receptacles.

"Word has reached me that a scientist from the University of Coruscant has discovered something long buried on the world of Brentaal that would be of great value to me. I would like you to go and retrieve this from him for me… Mara Jade."

Two emerald eyes stared up from beneath her cowl and locked with those of her master. "And the life of the professor?"

"Let his fate be the same as that of his home of Alderaan," the Emperor responded, matter-of-factly as his throne shifted around once more to its previous position. "Imperial Security has erased all knowledge of his discovery from the University's systems and those there who know already have been taken into custody. This professor is the last link in the chain that needs to be undone. Now go."

Bowing her head down to her knee in respect, she rose quickly; cloak molding and shifting to her form as she then turned on heal and departed. Whatever her master required of her, she would do with all her devotion. Thus was the life of the Emperor's Hand. So it has been said, and so it shall be done.


	3. Chapter Three

The blue and green mottled orb of Chandrila, a lush jewel against the cold darkness of space, was a lovely sight through the main viewport. It was most definitely a lovely sight to see, considering the haven it would hopefully provide for the _Nova Hound _while they got things back in working order. Chandrila was the closest and, thankfully, most peaceful planet near Brentaal where they might avoid Imperial eyes for a time. And if simply for this fact alone, Marikk was glad they were here.

"_Incoming vessel, this is Chandrila space station, what is your intended business?_" Glancing up again briefly from the controls, he saw the small speck with sat in orbit of the planet in the distance, growing larger as time passed. He slowed the ship's speed as they approached and motioned for Craeldo to open the channel.

"Chandrila station, this is the incoming cruiser. We request permission to dock for repairs."

Several seconds passed as the crew sat there in anticipation before suddenly a cheerful feminine voice came in response. "_Your request has been granted. You have permission to dock at repair bay 3. Welcome to Chandrilla. Please enjoy your visit._"

The cruiser approached the docking rig inside of repair bay 3 slowly, various mechanical moans and whirrs sounding as the ship jolted a bit, secured in its place and now connected to the station by way of the primary airlock. Powering down the engines, Captain Marikk looked to both Sillek and Abras at his sides and then picked up his Comlink. "Attention all crew members, please gather in the salon pod in five minutes for a quick meeting. Thank you."

Abras spun around in his chair towards him, a curious look upon his face. "What's this all about, Captain?"

"You'll see," Marikk quipped, a smirk upon his face as he stood and made his way to the lift tube.

* * *

The eight person crew had gathered quickly and took their seats around the ovular greel-wood table, while "Leda", Dorm's LE-series Repair Droid, took up a position behind him. Back in the days of the Republic, this room would have been used for diplomatic gatherings aboard Republic cruisers; highly decorated and refined chambers that, in an emergency, could detach from the rest of the ship. These days, the salon was mostly used for crew meetings, such as this one, and business negotiations with possible employers or clients. It was slightly stripped down from the days when it served the Republic, but it still had that subtle, refined charm to it.

Marikk leaned forward on the table and steepled his elongated hands in front of him.

"Alright, people, I'll try to keep this brief. After our last few encounters with the Imps, the _Hound_ has gotten a tad beat up, and our maneuvers over Brentaal left almost anything that wasn't welded down now scattered across the ship." He paused briefly and looked each of his teammates in the eyes.

"Now then, while we have this brief period of solace, we need to take time to get repairs made and things cleaned up. Dorm, I'd like you and Leda to go speak to the bay master about parts for the ship. You are capable enough to get this done without needing outside help, besides the fact that it'll save us some credits." At this, he noticed a significant grin on Loon's face while Dorm and Leda nodded silently in recognition.

"Now then, Abras, I'd like you to head down to the engine room and start getting things cleaned-up and set up for their return. Obbeo, you check our food supplies and purchase anything more you may need on the station. Shalla, Craeldo, and Sillek, you all go around the ship and clean-up any messes that may have occurred from earlier. In the meantime, I'll be going to pay a little visit to our guest and check some things out. You all have your jobs, now…" Before he could finish, there was a tug upon his sleeve from Loon.

"You never assigned me anything," his cousin asked, almost somewhat sheepishly, which gave Marikk somewhat of a startle. "What shall I do?"

The Duros rubbed his chin a bit, glancing up as he thought and then slapped his head. "Oh, well, that should have been obvious. Go with Dormanin and Obbeo in their rounds and make sure we don't spend over our means. Now then, as I was saying before, let's get to work people!"

* * *

The morning went uneventfully enough as General Steeds toiled away over various datapads and countless pieces of flimsiplast. It was just exactly how he liked it, especially when filling out unfavorable reports to his superiors. After the debacle in the Oradin spaceport yesterday, the loss of troopers _and_ having allowed the fugitive to escape, there now came that ever dreadful datatrail he had to follow.

Having just finished reading over the officer-on-duty's report, the middle-aged Imperial officer leaned back in his chair and laid the datapad on his desk when he heard a commotion outside his office door. The voice of his secretary had suddenly begun to rise and was followed soon after by a colder, muffled voice. Steeds stood to his feet and lowered his hand to the blaster at his side in expectation.

When the twin doors to his office finally parted, he relaxed just a bit at the unexpected sight of a young woman walking rather commandingly into his office, followed closely by his secretary. The woman was rather attractive with curled red-gold hair draping down over her shoulders and wearing a form-fitting black overcoat, dark red slacks, and finely polished gray dress shoes.

"I….my apologies, General, I couldn't stop her. I know you said you didn't want to be disturbed, but…" The young Lieutenant paused as the other woman raised her hand and silenced her, glancing back at her with rather cold emerald eyes, and then looking back to the General.

"I am Agent Jerda, here on orders with an AT3 directive."

_AT3_, the General thought, standing rigidly as he looked her over. _She's not joking around. This is big business. If it's true, she's under authority of the Emperor himself. _ Steed cleared his throat a bit as he glanced back at his secretary, "Return to your post, Lt. Keva. I'll call if I need you."

"Yes, sir."

The young woman bowed curtly and retreated back to her desk in the antechamber, leaving the General and Agent Jerda alone. Straightening his jacket, he began to sit down and then motioned with his hand to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Jerda's face betrayed no emotion as she glanced from his hand to the chair and then back to the General. "No thank you, I prefer to stand."

"As you wish. Now then, might I assume," he gulped momentarily, briefly cutting off his sentence, "that this visit is about Professor Ardina?"

She nodded, saying nothing.

"I was just about to fill out my final report on the situation before you came in."

"Well then, why don't you practice on me before you fill it out?" The tone of her voice was rich with something quite near sarcasm as she looked over the pile upon his desk and her spartan surroundings. "Tell me exactly what happened, General."

Steed clasped his fingers together in his lap and then locked eyes with Jerda as he told the tale. Her face grew increasingly agitated as the story went on, especially when he got to the incident at the docking bay.

"And thus Captain Ven and his troopers surrounded and began to board the ship to apprehend the professor. However, some opposing force within managed to push back several of our Stormtroopers from the ship, all of whom lost their lives by either direct attack or falling from great heights as it ascended from the planet."

"So… what you're saying was that it was the incompetence of you and your men who allowed the professor and his cargo to escape. Be assured, General Steed, this report will be reaching the ears of the Emperor himself. You best hope he is feeling unusually forgiving when he receives it." General Steed was obviously shaken as those words hit him; sweat beginning to pour profusely upon his brow. With a shaky hand, he picked up a particular datapad and slid it over to her. Picking it up, she scanned it over and then looked at the General with an arched eyebrow. "Is this what I think it is?"

"I…um, I….yes. Captain Ven did manage to have a tracking device attached to the outer hull of the ship in case the worst happened, w…which it did. We would have sent ships in pursuit, but by the time word got to me, these outlaws were out of my reach to pursue."

"They may be out of your reach, General," she said, narrowing her eyes and dropping the pad back on the desk, "but not for the Emperor. His hand reaches farther than you could ever realize." Agent Jerda turned, having finished without another word and began to step outside, but paused and looked back at the General momentarily. "You have been most helpful, General. Thank you."

"A…and your report… to the Emperor?"

She said nothing, moving quickly out of the office and leaving General Steed sitting in silence, resigned to what images might now come into his mind.

* * *

Hushed whispers and the hum of electronics were all that could be heard in the corridor. Imperial officers seemed rather anxious, some even scurrying towards the walls or side chambers as the quartet made their slow progression forward to the Destroyer's docking bay. Two words heard most amongst those whispers as the officers stood and watched were "Bounty Hunters."

"How very pathetic," the former protocol droid, 4-LOM, remarked callously as he kept at an even stance beside his partner. "These people are supposed to be the 'best of the best', and yet they cower like scolded animals."

Zuckuss turned his head slightly towards the droid in response to the remark, but said nothing. Likewise, the other two hunters, a pairing of a Dashade and a diminutive but long-necked Phuii, competitors in this hunt, continued on as if they hadn't heard the comment. The Phuii, however, almost at an antithesis to the precision and complementary behavior of Zuckuss and 4-LOM, seemed to buzz about his far more serious master with an untamed enthusiasm.

"We're gonna gets it!" he chirped with a somewhat frog-like voice as he bobbed head and neck from side to side. "Gand and droid will be eatsin our exhaust. No one can beats the duo of Satoorn Fwee and Helt Darquc!"

At that last comment, the Dashade, towering over all the others by at least a foot, gave a guttural growl and raised his lips to reveal much more of his already naturally visible fangs, which sent the officers in that area fleeing and Satoorn into a somewhat pensive state as he revised his statement. "Whats I meant to says was Helt Darquc and Satoorn Fwee, yes… Master first befores his apprentice."

"Please," Zuckuss prodded, shaking his helmeted head. "Even with a Dashade assassin as a master, what chance do you two have against 4-LOM and the 'Uncanny One.'?"

The protocol droid clicked his head a bit, pausing in step before moving on. "I concur. Even with Helt Darquc's skill, the addition of the Phuii's incompetence to your equation greatly decreases the chance of your success. You currently have only a 35.67543 percent chance of obtaining the bounty over Zuckuss and myself, and a 43.55321 percent chance of success over our remaining competition."

Satoorn seemed to grow uneasy as heavy footsteps suddenly began to thunder behind them, coming up the corridor at an ever increasing speed, the source yet unseen. "M…m…master could beats him in his sleep. The T'surr no scares u…us!"

"Not to mention that artificial brain of yours seems to be degrading, scrap heap," Helt then commented in an almost animalistic growl. "Your calculations… are nothing! How hard could it certainly be to capture a decrepit Alderaanian Xenoarcheologist. For us it should be a simple task, though I'm sure for the two of you it must be quite a chore."

"Boast all you want, but Zuckuss shall be the victor."

The Dashade barked a quick laugh, accompanied in term by his apprentice in imitation soon after.

"I think the ammonia is affecting your head, Gand. You make such elaborate claims you in no way could defend, and you have a defective partner. A droid with an ego is not a good thing to have around. Perhaps you should have its memory wiped or just scrap it altogether and get something useful made of it."

As the two pairs continued to spar back and forth with competitive boasts, the heavy footsteps that were behind them drew closer until, finally, a monstrous beast in crimson armor appeared behind them and pushed Zuckuss and 4-LOM out of the way with one arm. Satoorn and Helt were likewise brushed aside with the other arm. The Phuii scurried up and was about to say something in protest, but his master quickly grabbed him and clamped his clawed hand over the little one's snout. The great T'surr glanced backwards momentarily, four red eyes glaring from an azure face that looked like a flash frozen Thermal Detonator blast.

"I dare you to say anything, vermin," he spat back at Satoorn. "I grow hungry for a fresh meal."

The four said nothing as they entered at last into the docking bay, yet all continually keeping their eyes on the T'surr, Karyk. His species were violent and voracious hunters, and surely he was no exception. The possibility still remained that while their backs were turned he'd kill them, despite the Bounty Hunter's code, to claim the hunt for himself. It was best to be cautious.

Within the matter of ten minutes, each had crossed the boarding platforms, entered, prepared, and then subsequently launched their ships from the Star Destroyer, first the _Mist Hunter_, then Helt's _Void Prowler_, and then Krayk's _Razorfang_.

The hunt for Professor Ardina was on.

* * *

A brief knock and the twin durasteel doors parted as Marikk strode slowly into the darkened second floor stateroom. Like the others not currently in possession by one of the members of his crew, it was sparsely yet stylishly decorated. A small table with two chairs sat closest to the door to the right, with a computer console on the wall next to it. The entrance to the 'fresher sat in the farthest corner of the room with the single bed laying a little away from that and opposite the front door. It was here that Professor Ardina lied, staring motionless at the stars through the viewport.

"Good day, professor, I apologize for that bit of a rough ride, but we had a few Imperial entanglements we were dealing with at the time." A grin upon his face, he grabbed a chair away from the table and pulled it towards the bed, sitting backwards upon it. "I hope you're enjoying the accommodations. It's not the Imperial Plaza on Coruscant, but it's still not bad. We try to make sure our guests are comfortable."

Professor Ardina sat up, fluffing his pillow and using it as a cushion against the wall as he leaned upon it. "Indeed, you all have been most kind to help a total stranger in his time of trouble. If there's anything I can do to repay you all…"

"Now now, your contact said he'd take care of all of the finances once we arrived on Tatooine."

"My contact?" A strange expression framed the elder man's face as he repeated the phrase slightly under his breath. "I… I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean. I have no contact."

The Duro's brow furrowed as he began to flex his hands and locked eyes with Constantin. "You mean your not Villie's contact? You're not the guy who wanted passage off Brentaal to Tatooine."

"Well, I _am_ a man who wanted passage off of Brentaal, but I'm afraid I don't know any person by the name of 'Villie.'"

"Well then, this is a fine twist of events," Marikk grumbled under his breath, scuffing his boot against the floor. "Should have figured someone with a title like 'professor' tacked to his name wouldn't be working for guys like that."

Ardina looked genuinely regretful as he leaned forward towards Captain Danar and placed a hand on his shoulder, "My truest apologies that I unknowingly deceived you when there was someone else in dire need of your help…"

"Eh, don't worry about it," he quipped, trying to force a smile onto his face. "He was probably just some low-life thug anyway, trying to save his skin for one crime or another."

"Ah, I see…"

There was a tense silence in the room for a few minutes as both seemed to glance away in opposite directions. It was Marikk, though, that spoke up first, trying to put on the best front of a courteous host he could. "Well then, professor, what business led you into such hot water with the Imps? What story do you have to tell?"

Removing the blanket from over his legs, Ardina revealed the intricately carved wooden box he had been carrying earlier, hugging it close to his body. It was an odd looking object. The wood was a dark color, so deeply red that it was nearly black, with cryptic images and some unknown language carved upon it, the indentations in the wood almost looking as if they had been scorched into it.

"Well, I serve as professor of Xenoarcheology for the University of Imperial Center and have done so for the past twenty-five years. I and an associate of mine, an Ithorian by the name of Dowan Modow, had been leading a dig of an old Clone Wars-era Separatist bunker a few kilometers from Oradin.

"As we were clearing away some of the debris in what I suspected was once the commander of the installation's quarters, I found a hidden hatchway beneath where the bunk had been. Within it were scattered pieces of equipment and a few weapons, nothing spectacular, but as I drew closer to the bottom I discovered this box and its most unique contents nestled away in one corner. On one of the old datapads that had been amongst the rubble I discovered the Commander's personal log and in it found some most interesting tidbits of information.

"Apparently this which I am now holding was discovered on Dantooine by scouts for the Confederacy early in the war and ferried off the planet shortly before their forces there were defeated by the Republic. It was transported here for safe keeping until it was to be transported to its intended owner, Count Dooku of Serenno. According to the Commander, something began to come over him and he coveted the device for himself. It would seem that, in his desire, he hid it away from all sight to keep as his own. However, not long after that, the planet was liberated by the Republic, the base destroyed, and this treasure lost in the dust of time."

The professor glanced down again at his lap, or more specifically, at the box, and ran a hand over its surface, caressing it. "Shortly after we found it, I filed the report of my… our discovery back to the University, and, the Imperials got wind of what we had found. They killed Dowan, shot him down in the street, and thus they began to pursue me and, well, I believe you know the story from there."

"Well, what is in there? What could you have found that it was so important it would have drawn the Imps out like that?"

"Here, allow me to show you." Flipping open the lid, the professor watched as Marikk's eye began to glow as he saw the blood red crystalline pyramid nestled against the inner fabric casing. Almost yearningly the Duros began to reach over and touch it, but the professor snapped the lid shut and pulled the box back close to him, almost pinching Marikk's fingers.

The captain shook his head and bowed his head slightly. "My apologies, professor, I… I don't know what came over me. I just felt this urge to… to touch it; to hold it."

"It seems as if the device has that effect." He relaxed a bit and let the box go from against his stomach ever so slightly. "What happened to the commander, happened to you, and so has happened to me. Sadly, before he died, it even caused Dr. Modow to get in a rather serious scuffle over it."

"What _is_ that thing, professor?"

* * *

Thick mists swirled around his head and thoughts raced about his mind at the speed of light. Zuckuss took another breath, inhaling a small amount of ammonia but not releasing as he sat there in the pilot's chair, deep in meditation. He searched through the ever moving clouds of the future, using the ancient traditions and techniques of his kin Findsmen who came before him, searching for the information which he sought.

"3,540 respirations," 4-LOM stated as it worked away at the ship's controls. "Have you yet received intuition?"

He received no response as the Gand remained both silent and motionless. Being in hyperspace, he could more easily search the feelings and futures of countless people and places throughout the galaxy, but, more importantly, he could sense that of the one they sought. It was only a matter of time. Zuckuss, though his eyes were closed, could feel the droid's gaze observing him from behind as he continued to focus. It was odd, but he had the feeling that his partner was growing anxious.

Several more minutes passed, as did a few more respirations, when finally his eyes came into focus and he jumped to his feet. 4-LOM quickly came up behind him as the Gand's six fingers quickly entered new coordinates into the NAV computer. "Ardina is on Chandrila. He's in the hands of mercenaries."

4-LOM stood mostly motionless as he watched the _Mist Hunter_ come out of hyperspace momentarily. "It is an impossibility that they know of the bounty. It is logical, therefore, to assume that he must be with them for protection."

"No matter," Zuckuss remarked with a smirk, "Zuckuss and 4-LOM will get him."

With but a moment's pause in the void, the bounty hunter's ship jumped once more into hyperspace, another ship appearing and disappearing between jumps to lightspeed in the exact same spot seconds after.

* * *

The repair bay was ripe with the noise of machinery and worker, droid and organic, as they all went about their assigned tasks and gathered whatever they needed to accomplish their work. Dormanin took a deep breath, taking in the odor of coolant, burnt ozone, grease and a thousand other different things, and let out a deep sigh. This was his element and he relished it in every form.

Hunching down through the doorway, he made his way slowly around equipment and scattered parts with the white-chassied Leda at his side and Loon moving cautiously behind them, holding up his robes and stepping carefully around any puddles or spills. The sight could only make him laugh.

In the center of the forward wall of the chamber, working at a control console and manipulating various mechanical arms and scanners in the outer bay where their ship resided stood a greasy little human in jumpsuit whose original color could no longer be determined. The man paused momentarily at his controls, coughed slightly and then ran his hand back through his oily black hair.

"Excuse me," Dormanin's translator bellowed, trying to be heard over the excess of noise. "Might you be Jo'eno."

"Yeh, what's it to ya," the man spat, making a disgusting slurp in his throat as he worked away at the controls. "Who wantsta know?"

"My name is Dormanin Vebis, chief engineer for the _Nova Hound_. I was just coming to check on the condition of the ship."

"Yeah, well ya must be a poor engineer if ya need guys like u…" As Jo'eno made to spin around and place a finger firmly in where a being his size's chest would have been, he stood slack jawed as he quickly glanced up at the Vurk towering over him, a grin upon its face which seem to contrast the scene. "…errr, rather, what I meant to say was, 'ello! Yea, I'm Jo'eno Finn, chief of bay operations. I was jus' completin' the last scans on your ship. You guys have certainly dinged up your old barg…er, _fine_ craft quite a bit. Ya gonna need quite a bit of work on her."

As the computer let out a ringing buzz, the Jo'eno reached into a lower compartment on the console, withdrew a worn datapad and offered it to Dorm. He took the pad in hand and scrolled through it, eyes widening as he saw the scope of all they had determined needed repaired or replaced on the ship. "Oh dear."

Shuffling up to his side, Loon looked over Dorm's arm to the pad, just in time to catch a glimpse at the bottom of the list and the estimated price. "By the moons of Neimoidia! Are you out of your greasy little mind!? Do you think we're made out of credits!? No amount of work could be that much!"

"Yeah well, it is, slimo. Ya pay it or get outta my bay and let someone who will in."

Letting go of his robes, the half-Neimoidian seemed as if he were going to pounce on the mechanic, but Dorm quickly intervened, placing a hand on his Loon's mouth and pushing him back with one arm. The Vurk handed back the pad, a sympathetic look upon his face as he tried to smile.

"My apologies, Mr. Finn, but I am afraid my friend here can get a bit carried away. You know Neimoidians and credits after all. Anyway, what he _meant _to saywas, while we are appreciative of your help, we are afraid that your price is a bit too steep for our current budget. While I myself could do most of the labor and hopefully lower the price a bit, I am afraid that still would not be enough."

Jo'eno shifted over to Dorm, placed a hand over his mouth and motioned him down, then whispered into his ear. "Listen, ya seem like a nice guy, so I'll cut ya a break. We'll service the ship and at least get the hull stable for four thousand creds. Then, when we're finished, I'll give ya the name of a guy I know on Vaynai. He can probably get ya most of the parts for about a half to a quarter of the price if ya tell him I sent ya. Ya all just better not go handin' this information out. I got a business to run here too, ya know."

"We are most appreciative, sir," Dorm muttered, lowering the volume on his translator.

"Yeah, well don't be expectin' such favors from me too often." Turning back to his station, the man quickly returned to working steadily away at his station. "I'll transmit the coordinates once we finish business. Oh, and something else."

"What? What's wrong?"

"We found what we think is an Imperial tracking device on the bottom outer hull of your ship. I removed and disabled it for yas, free of charge."

Turning quickly, Loon wriggled from Dorm's grip and sprinted out of the bay towards the ship. "You all do what you need to finish, I'll go tell Marikk!"

With a nod, Dorm and Leda turned away as he made his way out, gathered around the console with Jo'eno and began to talk shop quietly amongst themselves.

* * *

With a lurch the civilian transport came to rest in its dock and a great rush of beings flooded through the airlock and dispersed across Chandrila station. Amongst them Mara Jade moved swiftly, covered all but face and feet by her black cloak, as she began her hunt for the ship. She felt both conspicuous and inconspicuous at the same time, pushing through the crowds to cover as much ground as she could as quickly as possible, looking around at what were uninteresting sites for typical tourists.

As she broke away from the crowds and down a much less busy corridor, she happened to come upon a small office whose doors were left open. Much to her joy, inside she found a working computer terminal and, after slicing through the station's security protocols, began to scan through the dock logs for ships that had arrived on the station within the past twenty-four standard hours. The list was of a moderate length, mostly transports and a few private yachts and bulk freighters, nothing that particularly caught her eye until, nearly at the bottom; she found an unregistered ship docked in Repair Bay 3. It wasn't this, though, that perked Mara's interest but the ship description: MODIFIED CORELLIAN ENGINEERING CORPORATION CONSULAR-CLASS CRUISER. _This has to be them_, Jade thought, pulling up a map of the station to find directions to that particular repair bay. _There can't be that many old Republic ships docked around here. My master's prize will soon be in my grasp. _

Mara stared intently at the screen for nearly a minute, burning into her mind the path with which she had devised to take to the ship. If all worked according to plan, she would sneak aboard, find Professor Ardina, and take from him what she sought. Whether he came out of the situation unscathed or not depended on how cooperative he was feeling. Secure in her plans, she executed one final measure of precaution and disabled the surveillance holos in that section of the station before logging out of the system. Quickly making sure the room was arranged the way it had been before she arrived, she made her way out and disappeared back into the corridor.

The path was smooth as she traveled, so to speak. Avoiding all contact with others, she stuck to the shadows as best she could in the mostly well lit corridors, sneaking past the station's crew, ducking through side passageways and, within a matter minutes, found herself close to the airlock where the ship was docked.

It was silent there in the hallway as she made her way to the wall-mounted control display and began her work. It was simple enough to slice through any security codes for the airlock, and she had gained access with little effort. A smirk of success and Mara pressed down on the control pad, watching as the hatch parted and revealed the shadowed entranceway to the mercenary ship. Cautiously, she reached out with the force to feel for any presence near the inside of the door, but thankfully found none.

However, as she began to slink inside the _Nova Hound_, both her sense of hearing and the Force sense detected an approaching presence from the direction of the main repair bay. Reaching out with her power, she manipulated the control console and closed the hatch doors, leaving her to move quickly in the darkness to remain undiscovered.

* * *

Marikk furrowed his brow and tapped his foot impatiently as he and Craeldo stood guard over the airlock entranceway to their ship. His cousin's report was ill-timed news; completely killing the feeling of triumph for what he thought was a well-executed escape. If the Imps had tracked them, it wouldn't be long before Star Destroyers or Bounty Hunters or who knew what else from a thousand dreadful imaginations might converge upon the system and take them. He had already gotten a hold of Obbeo who had returned within the last few minutes, and from what he heard Loon was now resting in his quarters, but Dorm and Leda were dawdling at some corner of the station or another, though they had said they would be there shortly.

"This is a fine mess," Craeldo muttered under his breath, leaning against the wall with arms crossed over his chest. "We can't seem to catch a break. If this Ardina isn't our guy, why not just leave him here and let him find his own way of escape."

There was nothing said in response, at least not at first. Nearly mimicking the Rodian's posture, the Captain rested in the doorway, staring down at his boots. "To be honest, I can't in good conscience do it. As much as we could lose off of this, I know I can't take the chance of letting the Empire getting their grubby little talons on him."

"Why do you say that? I can't see why they'd want him so badly unless he just crossed the wrong person or something."

"Well, he's carrying something that…" as the words began to slip from his mouth, Marikk noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye and a figure approaching from the inside of the ship.

"My apologies for interrupting," came Ardina's voice as he emerged from the darkness, "but I noticed a tenseness in the air on the ship and I was coming to see if there was anything wrong."

"The Imperials placed a tracker on us," the Captain said, frustration filling his words. "We're gonna have to make the run for Corellia as soon as the last two of our crew members get back."

"Corellia?" Craeldo inquired, cocking his head curiously. "Why are we heading there?"

"I have some family who resettled on Corellia shortly after Alderaan's destruction. I'll be hiding out with them until we can get in contact with the Rebellion, hoping that they can ferry me underground." Professor Ardina paused briefly and seemed to be staring at the ground but quickly recovered from whatever was going through his mind and stepped forward to place a hand upon Marikk's shoulder, a look of concern upon his face. "Is there anything I might be able to do to help in light of the current crises?"

The captain placed a comforting hand in return on Constantin's shoulder and smiled. "While I really appreciate the offer, it might be best if you went and locked yourself in your quarters. Did you take those precautions I told you about?"

"Yes, yes indeed. They are done."

"Very good. Now go get into a lockdown and I'll come get you when we arrive at our destination."

With a bow, the professor disappeared once more into the ship, Marikk eyeing him as he did so, a smile upon his face. "He really is a nice guy."

"Yeah, well, I hate to sound like Loon," Crae snorted, tapping his left boot against the wall, "but 'nice' doesn't pay the bills _or_ prevent an Imperial bounty from getting slapped on us." In a bitter turn of events, the rather casual atmosphere they had been resting in was quickly replaced by the hissing 'whoompf' that echoed from the opposite end of the corridor. Before he could react, a small canister flew within a half a meter of his body, burst, wrapped him in a near instantaneously hardening spraynet, bound him and forced Craeldo to the ground in a near fetal position.

Reaching for his pistol, Marikk was greeted by a bolt of blaster fire that just about grazed his right hand. A pair of figures emerged from around the two corners of adjacent corridors, a Gand and an insectoid Protocol droid armed with Snare and Concussion Rifles respectively. Marikk raised his hands in the air and took a step forward from the doorway as he marched towards them, two beings that by both reputation and appearance he knew: the bounty hunters Zuckuss and 4-LOM.


	4. Chapter Four

Extravagance was nearly a badge of honor for the Neimoidians, credits the measure of a being's success. This was the way his mother had raised him. This was the way of his people.

Though the lighting had been set to dim, Loon's quarters still held a bright glow to them due to the reflection of the near overwhelming presence of gold within the room. What items in the room that were not gold were either plated gold or made of something equally as valuable. Finely woven rugs upon the floor, paintings and tapestries hundreds of years older than he upon the wall, and furniture created by the finest craftsmen known. This was hardly the scene one would find on a Mercenary ship, and thanks to his careful precautions few actually saw it.

Security, though, to this extent almost always assured loneliness.

Loon leaned back upon the stack of plush pillows on the corner of his bed, now wearing only his under robes, surrounded by files, datapads and sheets of flimsiplast from some figures he had been going over. But these were not his focus now. In his hand, he toyed with an ovaloid holoprojector, rolling it between his fingers. In his mind he debated whether to activate it or not, to view the images within as he did on occasion when he got into a sullen mood. The past was not a subject he much liked to dwell on.

There were always chances for exceptions to that rule, though.

Pressing firmly onto a small knob on the orb's face, something inside hummed to life in the silence, beams of light arcing out from its sides and morphing together into a seemingly solid image of three beings overtop of it. A family. A smile, ever so slight, crossed Loon's face as he scanned the scene, watching his father, the Duros Fellen Danar, his mother, the Neimoidian Loor Danar, and his own diminutive form at age six. This was a bittersweet time in his life, a time of conflict on all sides.

Neither by Neimoidian society nor that of the Duros was he ever _truly_ accepted, being a hybrid of the two species. To the former he was merely a worm milking off the good name of the species for his own glorification; to the latter a tainted being who possessed foolish 'inner qualities' that ran sometimes contrary to their way of life. Compassion, for one. Had he been wholly Neimoidian, compassion would have cost him his life early in the hive. This was a fact his mother had often reminded him of. She had bred him on the philosophy that in life you must win by whatever means necessary. _Whatever_ means. The strong will live and the weak will die. The winner will take the spoils and the loser would be nothing more than dust in the wind.

His father, though, spoke much to the contrary. While he encouraged his son to do his best and to look towards victory, he told him to keep hold of that compassion within him. _Many things in this galaxy can be bought and sold at the drop of a few credits_, Fellen Danar once said_,_ _but if you lose your honor and the compassionate soul within you, no sum of credits will ever be able to buy it back. _

These two philosophies brought his parents into conflict many times, and in fact their differing points of view left them almost constantly in argument from his childhood and even until today. It sometimes seemed beyond him how the two of them could possibly love each other always being in such a state, yet still their marriage somehow remained strong.

Loon glanced up and scanned the elegant and costly decorations that dotted his room. Money, possessions… he had acquired these things in the pursuit of happiness, trying to discover some form of pleasure in his own life. Or perhaps it was his mother he sought to please. While his father's love was most assured, there was always the sinking suspicion that his mother would never truly be proud of him unless he was a success. That's what made the choice to join up with Marikk so hard. He threw away a great deal of his success in order to help his cousin. A fool's errand.

Another button pressed upon the projector's surface and the image dissolved momentarily before being replaced by another. This time it was an image of two, Marikk and himself, ages 10 and 14. Related by their fathers, Marikk had spent much time with his family during the summers and for a few years in their older teen years. His cousin's parents had passed on when he was very young, leaving him alone in the galaxy and passing from one relative's household to another until he finally left to blaze his own trails.

Loon smirked again, remembering their times as children. His cousin often wanted to go out on some 'adventure' or another, wherever he could get into mischief around their home of Neimoidia. He, however, was too proper to be running around like a savage all day. There were studies to attend to; work to be done. Despite one refusal after another, Marikk did not lose spirit and kept on asking anyway, in hopes that his big cousin would come join him in play.

His hopes, though, were not in vain as there was finally one adventure he had decided to join in on. In his early twenties, Marikk left their home to find freedom, freedom from the strict rules his adopted mother tried to force upon him. In his travels, by some circumstance or another, his cousin found himself working in the underworld as a pilot and bodyguard for various gangsters, but within recent years broke away from that past life and went to start up what was now Marikk's Mercs.

It was indeed the much maligned trait of compassion that had convinced him to join his cousin. Having left his firm on Muunilist, he helped to front the money to buy a ship for this little venture, the _Nova Hound_, and agreed to take care of their new business's finances with the same ferocity he had done in public work. For this move his mother scowled upon him, but his father gave only a knowing smile and a reaffirming glimmer in his eye.

That seemed to make it all worth it, though. The joy of his cousin and the pride of his father.

Switching off the small projector, he dropped it down to his side and stared up at the ceiling. Perhaps the others had been right when they said he should pay Marikk a little more respect and care. Perhaps there was more to all this than money.

Then again, where would they be now without credits?

* * *

"Well well, so these are the beings with whom the professor has taken refuge," muttered Zuckuss under his breath, just loud enough for his partner.

"These beings seem surprisingly unprepared for either mercenaries or bodyguards. The apprehending of Ardina should proceed with little trouble."

Marikk seemed to wrinkle his brow at that comment as he made the march forward, hands in the air, and stopped about an arm's length from the two. "I'll admit, you got the drop on us, but like we were really expecting Bounty Hunters on our trail this soon. It does seem awfully fast for the Imps to get you all after us since we left Brentaal." Giving no response, the Gand frisked him over quickly and tossed away Marikk's sidearm.

"Now then, Duro, you'll be taking Zuckuss and 4-Lom to Professor Ardina immediately, if you value your being."

"What? So quickly? You haven't even introduced yourselves properly. My my, the art of conversation really is dy- -." Though he had tried to stall for time, it would have seemed the hunters were in no mood for games as the barrel of 4-LOM's concussion rifle found its place a few centimeters from his chest.

In a tone that was eerily unnatural, the droid lowered its voice and seemed to amplify its volume so that the sound sent a chill down Marikk's spine, though he did his best to keep his composure before the enemy. "The professor, _now!_"

"Alright, alright. No need to get testy." Turning around slowly and placing his arms on his head, the Duros slowly began to lead them down the corridor towards the ship when he paused suddenly and turned back to face them as a rumbling began to sound in the distance. "One thing, though. How fast do you think a roughly 300 pound Vurk can run?"

There was the sound of an exasperated sigh and what could have almost been a chuckle from underneath his helmet as Zuckuss placed a hand on his shaking head. "What kind of stupid question is that?"

"Oh, it's not stupid at all. Quite relevant to the situation actually."

The distant rumbling grew closer so that Zuckuss now picked up on the noise as the deck plates began to rattle. The Gand and Droid both turned slowly, a reluctance in their motion, as the over two meter tall Dormanin came barreling down the pathway, arms outstretched to his side as he knocked both into the air and off their feet. Marikk shuffled out of the way as the Vurk continued on, snatched up Craeldo, net and all, and made his way into the ship. A few seconds later the white chassised Leda came scuttling along after, planted a swift kick in 4-LOM's side and followed quickly behind her friend.

A smirk upon his face, Marikk bent down and snatched up his blaster, watching the two hunters briefly before leaving himself and sealing the airlock behind him. "So sorry, boys, but don't say I didn't try to warn you."

* * *

Abras worked at frenzied pace on the various control panels across the main chamber of the bridge, prepping the ship and getting the engines ready for take-off at the captain's request. An incoming cry of protest came from Chandrila station as he eased the _Nova Hound_ away from the station, accidentally knocking down a few manipulator arms from the ceiling of the repair bay as he flew the ship out into open space. By the word he had gotten from Marikk, bounty hunters were on their tail and they had to set course for Corellia earlier than schedule, even before they could pay their dues at the station. That would have to be taken care of at another time.

Wiping a gloss of sweat from his forehead and dragging his hand through chestnut hair, the young human moved quickly from the pilot's station over to Sillek's forward tactical console and raised the ship's shields before returning to his previous position. Just then, something at one of the consoles began to give off a constant beeping. It was not long before he discovered that the ship's sensors had picked up an incoming craft about to overtake them. The computer soon identified it as the Surronian Conqueror assault ship _Void Prowler_. The hunters were already upon them.

"Void-sucking mynocks!"

In a moment of desperation, he reached up on the controls and pulled his fingers down on series of buttons and then pressed with all his strength on a lever below them. This seemed to send the ship into an acceleration boost that kept them at a safe, yet still too close for comfort, distance from their pursuers. Their old ship might not be able to keep up the pace for too long in its current condition, but just as long as it held together long enough for him to enter the coordinates into the Nav computer to make the jump to hyperspace.

* * *

The sudden shift of the ship's position caught off guard Professor Ardina as he sat on his bed against the corner of the room as he had earlier. There was an ill sensation that seemed to grasp his stomach at the pace and lack of grace with which they exited the repair bay that confirmed his fears that finally his pursuers must have caught up to him. As much as he despised Chandrila, as many Alderaanians who had survived the destruction of their home did, harboring jealousy at the Empire's seeming non-interference with the planet, he did not want to see it go so soon knowing the dangers that soon awaited them.

Turning his gaze from the stars, he watched the ever present wooden box that sat upon his lap and thought back on all the trouble it had caused since he discovered it. Such a discovery would have gained him great praise from his peers, but now it seemed only to be a dark pestilence, causing despair and death to all those who seemed to cross its path.

The sound of something shuffling in front of his door broke the professor's concentration as he sat there and held his breath, listening to whomever it was working outside. Constantin's nerves were set on edge as the seconds ticked by slowly and he had still not released his breath. Then, in the culmination of his fears, the doors slid open and blinding light poured in on him as he tried to make out the silhouette that stood motionless in the doorway.

"C…Captain Marikk? Is that you?"

"I'm sorry, professor," came a woman's voice, smooth yet deathly serious, "but no such luck."

The figure stepped forward slowly, methodically, as she motioned with her hand at her side and the doors closed behind her. She removed her hood and revealed the face of the one who now confronted him. Had this been any other situation, the sight of such a face would have put him at ease, but something about the situation… something about her… caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end.

"Who are you?" he stammered, shrinking further into the corner and curling up to protect the box. "What do you want with me?"

"I want what you're hiding."

"Hiding…I… I'm hiding nothing." As her leather enrobed hand reached out towards him, Ardina leapt to his feet and ran to the opposite side of the room, in front of the 'fresher as he watched her approach and frantically felt behind him to try and open the door.

"Yeah, that's _really_ convincing. Now give me the box."

Finally the fresher door opened and the professor stumbled backwards into it and quickly made to close the door, but, as it was but centimeters from doing so and sealing him in, it simply froze. Not long after a single jade eye appeared in the small crack as the door began to creep open. "You… you can't take it. You don't know the secrets of the device."

"What I know is that my master has asked me to retrieve it for him, and it _will_ be retrieved for him." Reaching down, Mara took a firm grasp upon the box and tried to yank it away, but the elder Ardina persisted.

"You don't understand. This thing perverts; it corrupts. I cannot let this fall into the wrong hands."

"And I don't care. I have a job to do." The two tussled out of the fresher in a tugging match to regain control of the box, but a swift boot to the stomach and powerful kick helped ensured that Mara Jade was the victor. Wrinkling her nose in resentment, she reached to her waist and withdrew a blaster pistol which she trained on the professor's heart. "And now my job will be done."

"No, please you mustn't let its dark knowledge- -" Before he could finish, Contantin Ardina felt a swift pain fill his chest and surge through every end of his body. He gasped to breathe, but nothing would come. And then, in a cowering heap, the life drained from his body. He was gone.

Mara re-holstered her blaster on the inside of her cloak and then took the box in both hands and flipped open the lid. Her nostrils flared and eyes narrowed in a deadly gaze as all she saw upon opening was an empty indentation upon the fabric casing. Throwing the box to ground, she clenched her fists and in a silent, almost unobservable anger, watched as it shattered into splinters. _That was messy, Jade_, she thought, her eyes lifting now to the professor's body. _Too damned messy. The old man was playing you the whole time, even until the end. Now Ardina's dead, my plan of escape is gone with the ship leaving the station and worst of all, my hunt turned up a sham. The holocron's gone._

* * *

The spraynet bundle twisted and rolled upon the floor as Craeldo struggled against it, pushing out and trying to break through but to no avail. The Rodian let out a snort of protest and starting kicking spastically against his confines. "Someone get me out of this blasted netting! I'm claustrophobic!"

"One moment please," came Dorm's rumbling mechanical 'voice' from the other side of the engine room, a fusioncutter in hand. The Vurk extended his index finger and activated the device, the plasma cutting beam flaring to life. "Now do not move. I must be very careful."

Crae's eyes widen as he watched the torch approach and began kicking and flailing again. "Careful!? You'll be cutterless! I don't want you using that thing around me! Ya gotta have another way to get me out of here without a fusioncutter! Can't you just rip the stupid thing or something!?"

"Hmm, well then, I hadn't thought of thought." A curious look crossed Dormanin's face as he disengaged the cutter, placed it in his tool belt and took the netted bundle up into his powerful arms. Placing both hands in the top center of the spraynet, he gritted his teeth and pulled outwards with all of his strength, letting out a roar as the net was divided between his two parting hands and Craeldo spilled out onto the floor. Dorm reached down and took the hand of his friend, currently laying on his shoulders with his head on the ground and legs folded back so that they laid over it, helped to unfold him and lift him back to his feet.

"Well, it certainly feels good to be out of there." Stretching each of his limbs and limbering up, Craeldo cracked his neck and smiled up at the towering engineer. "Many thanks, Dorm, ol' boy."

"It is my pleasure, Crae. Are you unharmed?"

"Yeah, just a little stiff. Thanks."

With the current problem resolved, Crae winked and gave Dorm a two finger salute before starting to turn away to join the captain who had been heading to the bridge, though before he could take a handful of steps, the lights began to flicker. Much to their surprise, an electrical panel burst on the far side of the engine room, blue bolts of energy dancing around control panels, lights and energy conduits across the ship as soon engines, shields, weapons, lighting, life support, artificial gravity, and the ship's comm systems shut down.

Dorm reached down to his belt and withdrew a small work light and illuminated the darkness, looking first to Leda who was beginning to float into the air, throwing a fit on the far end of the engine room, and then to Craeldo who sat there in abandonment as he drifted towards the ceiling.

"_Captain, this is Abras. It seems as though our friends have a pair of heavy ion canons at their disposal.." _Dorm and Crae glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. _"All systems are down, but I'm doing what I can to get life support and the gravs back on line."_

"_Yeah, you do that, Abras. Dorm, see what you can do on your end."_

"As you wish, Captain."

"_Oh, and sir?"_

There was almost a sound of pain in his voice as Marikk responded. _"Please tell me you have good news."_

"_I'm afraid not, Captain." _Abras paused momentarily, gathering his courage. _"Shortly before we were hit, sensors picked up another incoming ship. It was the _Mist Hunter_."_

" _All right, folks, the shockball game is about to begin and the visiting team should be in the arena soon. Be on your guards."_

An almost simultaneous chorus of acknowledgments rang out over the comlink. Swimming through the air as best he could, looking like a dying Opee Sea-killer, Dormanin made his way to a power junction to see what he could do to get systems up and the _Nova Hound_ on its way.

* * *

Like predatory Corellian slice-hounds circling their prey, the two bounty ships circled the disabled freighter, drawing ever closer which each revolution. The hourglass shaped _Void Prowler_ came in first alongside the Port airlock and docked via its own airlock which had been artificially grafted into the organic curves of the Surronian assault ship's neck.

The Dashade hunter Helt Darquc worked quickly at the control console as he extended the boarding tube and made the necessary connections while his Phuii associate moved about and collected the arms full of weapons they would use. Much to his disgust, the Dashade watched as the _Mist Hunter_ circled once more around them and the mercenary ship and then made its way to dock on the Starboard side of the freighter. The site of that crescent ship made his blood boil.

"_What is the meaning of this, Darquc,"_ a voice soon demanded over the Comm. _"How did you possibly beat us here? How did you even know where to come?"_

"I guess I'm just the better hunter, Gand. As they say, first slice-hound to the kill to gets the meal. I disabled the ship. I got here first. This target's mine."

"_In your warped little dreams. You piggybacked off of and followed Zuckuss here and overtook the ship while _we_ were docked at the station. We were here first, thus this ship is rightfully ours." _There was a pause. _"No, such arguments are foolish. Seeing as Zuckuss and 4-LOM and Helt and Satoorn are all able bodied hunters,_ _with the possible exception of the last, and both seem to have relatively valid claims, whichever of can claim the old man first will show who the best truly is. That is how it should be…among honorable hunters."_

Darquc said nothing as he narrowed his eyes and glowered. Marching forward, he snatched up his disruptor pistol, attached it to his waist, and then took his CR-1 Blaster Canon and a bandolier of glop grenades from young Satoorn as he made his way towards the airlock and the awaiting _Nova Hound_.

* * *

_This ship is just full of surprises_, Mara quipped to herself. After the ship had shut down all of the sudden, it took the crew only a matter of five minutes to get some of their systems up and running again. The corridor in which she stood was bathed in the red glow of emergency lights every few meters, though she tried to stick to the dark lengths between them, and she soon also found it easier to breath. _Apparently they've gotten the artificial gravity, life support, and at least some of the emergency systems activated. Well, this should make my going slightly easier._

There had been a couple close calls when she had searched the second floor staterooms around the Professor's for signs of her query, but thankfully the shadows provided her ample cover. Having found nothing there, she climbed down the lift shaft and made her way to the bottom, fourth, deck and the staterooms there.

She kept her footsteps light and inaudible as she slid along the wall, her cloak drawn back from her body except from over her face, and made her way to the stateroom farthest away from the lift tube, planning to work her way back towards it so that she could make a quick escape. Earlier she had overheard from one of the crew that bounty hunters had been the ones who had disabled and then boarded the ship. Mara did not know who had hired the hunters, nor did she care at this point. That fact could be found out at another time, but for now their presence was quite welcomed. Besides having them as a cover for the death of the professor, she could commandeer one of their ships to make her escape. Though there were a few foul turn of events in the beginning, things were working quite to her benefit now.

One by one she began to go through each of the six lower staterooms, some showing signs of occupation, though currently vacant; others not. As she made her way towards the third from last room, something pulled at her mind. She sensed something… someone within. Placing her hand at her side to ready her weapons, she telekinetically parted the stateroom's doors slowly and cautiously slinked inside. Unlike the others, which had two emergency lights within to illuminate the chamber, this one was completely dark. It was all too apparent that she was being led into a trap, but undoubtedly whoever it was had planned on the presence of a bounty hunter and not the Emperor's hand. There was a swift movement behind her, and Mara spun around to find a cloaked silhouette blocking her only means of exit.

Reaching to her hip, she unclipped her saber and pressed down on the activator as the magenta blade burst forth with a snap-hiss. With the new source of illumination, she discovered the identity of her opponent, a cold-eyed Quarren in a high collared cloak. The being narrowed its eyes and smiled wickedly, movement seen under his cloak as he quickly withdrew a sword from beneath, parted his covering and stood at the ready in response to her weapon. The blade of his sword almost seemed to glow in the light of her saber.

"Well, well, then. It seems these are no ordinary guests we have on our ship," the Quarren remarked, taking one hand from his sword, reaching into a pocket on the inside of his cloak, withdrawing the crystalline pyramid from within and holding it out in open palm. "I assume you've come for this."

"The Professor's Sith Holocron!"

"Indeed, the very same. At Captain Marikk's request, Professor Ardina gave it to me for safe keeping, and safe it shall remain." He replaced it inside the pocket, placed his hand back on the hilt of his sword, and began to unfurl his tentacles and held them rather stiffly. "If you want it…. come and claim it…Jedi."

"There's one mistake in your analysis, Quarren. Not all beings who carry a lightsaber… are Jedi!" As the last breath of her comment passed her lips, she lunged forward as sword and saber came clashing together in a flashing display. The fact that his weapon had not been rendered in two caught Mara off guard at first, but her surprise was soon replaced by a sly smile, mimicked in kind by Sillek, as she made her next move and pulled the locked blades apart.

The duel for possession of the holocron had begun.


	5. Chapter Five

In all the time he had been on the _Nova Hound_, it was incredibly eerie not to hear any sounds around him, save for the echoing of his own footsteps as he descended down the lift tube shaft. Hands clasped securely upon the rungs that hid in their niche in the wall, Marikk descended slowly, avoiding looking down for fear of the dark unknown not revealed by the emergency lights. By the door he saw in the wall beside him as glanced over, he figured he had just arrived on deck two.

Reaching just to the right of his shoulder, he opened a small panel there and revealed the manual access controls for the door mechanism. The captain worked quickly, cutting and crossing some wires within the device and then pulling down on a large lever below them. With a satisfying hiss, the doorway split open and gave him just enough room to slide through as he sidled away and off the ladder.

Like every other deck on the ship, the corridor into which he stepped was covered in shadows, broken every so often by the glow of the feint red lights upon the wall. Reaching to his belt, Marikk unclasped a small, palm-sized light and switched it on, shining it out into the darkness. All the while his free hand stayed within reach of his sidearm.

Counting the doorways as he went, his steps taking the beat of his muttering, he soon reached the fifth doorway down from the lift tube and antechamber, Professor Ardina's quarters. Marikk placed the light in his mouth as best he could and then wedged his fingers into the crack between the doors, braced his legs against the flooring and then began to try and pull the door towards the right. At first, there was no movement; no response. The Duros's arms began to burn as he continued to pull, the doors at first only giving slightly but finally sliding apart with ease and revealing the open entranceway after about thirty seconds work. Caught off balance momentarily, the lamp dropping from his mouth, he straightened himself quickly, gathered up his light and made his way through.

Entering into the room, the dim light of the stars and the crimson of the wall mounted lights providing mixed illumination in the otherwise dark space; he could immediately tell something was wrong. There was a stench in the air, the smell of death. Marikk shined his light down on the floor, first spotting some wood splinters scattered by his feet and then bending down to investigate. As he did, though, sorting through the remains of the box, a sick feeling squeezing his inner being, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

"Professor!" Marikk cried in alarm, scrabbling across the floor to where the elder human lay. Feeling both neck and wrists, he desperately checked for a pulse, hoping that the wound on his chest was not fatal though in all rationality he knew undoubtedly it was. A sense of grief overwhelmed his being, washing over him like a mighty rushing wave. It was not death itself that made him mourn, but the death and suffering of the innocent.

Immediately, thoughts began to rush through his mind, buffeting his spirit. _Did I bring this on him? Was there more I could have done? I should have provided him more protection. I should have tried harder to escape. I should have… I should have…_ He paused and shook his head. He had to try to keep such thoughts from his mind lest they keep him off guard and lead him down the path to his own death. Kneeling there beside Constantin's body, Marikk closed the professor's eyes, clasped the human's hands together over his chest to cover the blaster wound, and then closed his own eyes and sat there in the silence, giving his last respects.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, soon followed by the deafening sound of blaster fire and an explosion. Then, in response, he heard his cousin's voice cry out.

"Hey! What in the moons of Munnilist do you think you're doing, breaking into my room!?"

"We've come for the professor. Where is here!?"

"I…don't know…"

"Lying worm!"

A hard thud thundered out against one of the bulkheads.

"It's not bestest to make Master Darquc angry. When angry, he likes to kills things, but, if yous tells us where the Professor is, we's sure he might possibly reconsider."

Marikk jumped to his feet, bowing momentarily to the Professor as he did, switched off his light, and then drew his blaster. Creeping slowly to the doorway, he peered out and towards the commotion beyond. Bathed in crimson radiance, he saw a fierce looking creature with smooth brown skin, bared fangs, and squinty eyes, dressed in a dark gray poncho, with pieces of gleaming ebony chitinous armor revealed underneath, and a bandolier overtop; behind him a diminutive green Phuii, a long-necked creature with a duck bill-like snout, standing as tall as the other creature's hip, and dressed in a baggy navy blue shirt and gray pants that bloomed out at the bottom. The taller of the two held an intimidating looking blaster canon in one hand and in the other was Loon, squirming in the grip of the muscular arm's three clawed fingers.

His blaster and light in tow, the captain took a deep breathe, paused a moment, and then jumped out of the doorway, firing of several shots that impacted at various points across the larger beast's body. The attack had caught him off guard, as he hoped, and as the two hunters reeled back in surprise as his cousin was released from his confines. Marikk activated his hand light, shining it into their eyes from what had once been darkness and blinded the two temporarily. This was the opening he needed.

"Loo, down here! Quickly!" Scrabbling to his feet, the Neimoidian huffed and puffed as he made it to Marikk's side and the two took refuge inside the doorway of the professor's chambers.

"Snarffing, dung-heaping, sludge hounds!" Darquc snarled, rubbing his hands over his eyes.

With his blaster held with both hands in front of his chest, the Duros glanced to his side, into the hall, and then over to Loon, who was leaning over with his hands on his knees. "You alright, Cous?"

"Better… now."

"Good." He smirked, trying to hide his own stress. "Would hate to see you be that thing's dinner."

"Well, I don't think he'd have eaten me. Still, though, you don't want to make a Dashade warrior angry."

"Dashade, eh? Did you get a load of that firearm of his? It's an old CR-1 blaster canon. Those things are particularly nasty. A Clone Wars-era weapon, but a lot of them have been upgraded and made there way into the hands of groups like the Rebellion. They usually fire off multiple shots at once." Suddenly, a loud shot fired from where the hunter's had been standing, a single great bolt impacting against the wall on the far side of the corridor from them, ripping through the durasteel and baring energy conduits and various wires and scorching wall panels. Marikk furrowed his brow in response. "Apparently our friend has upgraded his even more and made a bad weapon even worse."

Leaning over and around the corner, the captain fired a few more shots off into the darkness, their enemy having taken cover as well. As Marikk hid once more, another canon shot and several bolts from a smaller weapon surged through the air and tore through the nearby deck plating. Behind him, Loon wrung his hands together, dancing anxiously, a look upon his face of both fear and something else. Finally he spoke.

"Marikk, listen, I just wanted to say…I… I apologize for getting in your face as much as I did earlier, for attacking you like that."

His cousin couldn't help but chuckle, a look of bemusement on his face as he fired off his blaster again. "Well, Loo, I must say you have some timing, but I forgive ya. We're family. We can't let little squabbles ruin our relationship. Besides, well, I was rather reckless with the whole ale run to Gordain."

"Well, could it be I've finally gotten through to you? Could Marikk Danar finally be starting to settle down?"

"I wouldn't bet on it, Loo. Where's the fun in that?" His finger edging just against the trigger, he scanned the darkness and saw something scurry around in the distance. It could only be the Phuii. Three more shots rang out from his weapon followed by a squeaky cry from the darkness. "So, might I take it that you'll finally cut me some slack when it comes to our finances?"

In a move that caught him off guard, a smirk that echoed very much one of his own crossed Loon's face. "As a wise man once said, 'I wouldn't bet on it.'"

A flurry of crimson bolts impacted right near Marikk's right boot before he heard the distinctive sound of the CR-1 firing again. Listening momentarily, his eyes grew wide as he dived out of the way and tackled his cousin. "Loon, look out and get down!" In a great flash, the edge of the doorway where he had been standing erupted in a great flash of light and a section of the wall larger than his head disappeared in the smoke.

Marikk coughed from the smoke and bits of dust that clouded the air, wiped a few pieces of metal off of his jacket and then lifted himself up and looked his cousin over. "You alright, Loo?"

A grimace was etched into the half-Neimoidian's blue-green face. "Fabulous."

"I believe my hit and run strategy was just hit and ran." Despite the attempt at humor, neither of the cousins reacted with the faintest laugh or grin. The situation was dire. Chance of success was nearly gone. Odds of survival were nearing nil. It almost seemed to be the lot for Marikk's Mercs.

No matter how many times they had been in such a situation before, though, it was not there's to simply lie down and die. If this was the end, then they'd go out blazing.

The two were quiet as they stood to their feet. Marikk lifted and displayed his trusty pistol with pride while Loon reached down to his boot and brandished a small dagger. Both nodded, a desperate man's grin upon their faces, and turned their attention to the doorway. Holding their weapons in the ready, the cousins charged out the door, a forced war cry echoing in unison from their voices.

As they rounded the corner and faced the darkness of the hallway, their cries slowly trickled down to astonished whimpers and their weapons dropped to their sides as they saw, much to their surprise, that the hunters had been disarmed and disabled. Standing over the two fallen bodies was a duo of silhouettes, Ortolan and Rodian, Obbeo and Craeldo.

Marikk placed a hand on his hip and gave a lopsided grin, "Well, I'll be."

"Hope we didn't miss too much of the fun, Cap." From behind his back, Crae revealed a stun baton, humming as energy surged through it, and smiled. "An unseen belt with the Stunner to the back of the big guy's head and a belly-flop from Obbeo on the green guy works wonders. They really weren't so tough after all."

"Show-offs," muttered the accountant as he returned his blade to concealment.

"You're just jealous, Loon, that we beat them and you didn't." His trunk wiggled about in laughter as Obbeo straightened his red silk chef's uniform. "Must say, though, that that was a wonderful display you and Captain Danar performed on your way out. Awe-inspiring, really."

Any of the joviality and good humor that Loon had displayed earlier was all but gone as the picky, confrontational Neimoidian everyone had come to know reemerged. Wagging his finger in anger, he stepped forward, brow furrowed and eyes narrowed, ready to retort with whatever comments would spring from his mind, witty or otherwise, but he was quickly met by the dark blue hand of Captain Marikk.

"Let it go, Loo. We've got more important things to do than bicker. Obbeo, Crae, take these two and tie them up 'til we can figure out something to do with them." Straightening his black t-shirt and jacket, the Captain watched briefly as his information broker and ship-board chef dragged the hunters' bodies away before he made his way towards the tube shaft again and, with the same silencing hand he had just used, waved his cousin on. "Loon, come with me. We're going to the bridge to see what we can do to get this tug going."

* * *

Energy blade and metal sword clashed together with silent impact. The two combatants parried and thrust equally between each other as the elegant dance of the duel made way. At first, Sillek had decided to press in with a few moderately powered blows to test her defenses, and then allowed her to make a forward assault to fully gauge her offensive capabilities. And this is where they were as he watched the young woman press in with blow after blow to his blade. From what he could tell, she was not well accustomed to using the blade, but nonetheless he did not allow himself any quarter in lowering his defenses because he could still sense the grave danger she could pose if he did.

Both of them had moved quickly from his quarters into the slightly larger confines of the corridor; Sillek raised his blade up diagonally in front of him and braced his legs as she brought the lightsaber down heavily upon him. Watching each other eye to eye, they said nothing, but held there stances momentarily in the bright red glow of the emergency lights as the Quarren pushed forward with his full strength and drove her back. In the moment he had, he lowered his sword to his right side with both hands, getting into position, and then charged and lunged the sword up and forward, the blade pointing towards her right shoulder. As expected, though, she sidestepped at the prime moment and brought her weapon down upon his as he charged on, meaning to knock the sword from his hand, but Sillek, undeterred, strengthened his grip on the hilt and pushed upwards, which sent her sword arm high in the air over her head and leaving her abdomen unguarded.

There was a moment of conflict within him as time seemed to slow before him. With one strike he could end this battle, as well as the saber wielder's life, but something pushed back against that killer instinct; something deep within his soul protested. Narrowing his eyes, he planted a boot into her stomach and sent the young woman stumbling backwards against the wall, the cowl over her face falling back and revealing the red locks of hair that came tumbling down onto her shoulder, as well as the tender age of the fighter.

Sillek took several steps back himself, holding the gleaming blade of his sword up straight in front of him, putting up his defenses and narrowing his eyes as he watched her recover and steady herself back on her feet. "I do not wish to kill you," he muttered, standing as straight and still as a statue. "Leave now and do not return. You have many years ahead of you, Miss. Do not throw it all away here."

"Save such lines for the end. This fight is not over yet." Reaching back over her shoulder, Mara took her cloak, pulled it off and tossed it in the air, the garment unfurling and making a momentary shroud between the two. Sillek swung from the top right to bottom left corner and rendered it in two, but before it completely separated, the magenta blade of Jade's lightsaber came piercing straight through the top piece, much to his surprise. He sidled out of the way, trying to avoid the incoming blade, but the Quarren was not quite fast enough as he felt a sharp pang surge through his tentacles. Before he could take the time to access the damage, he soon found the saber's blade moving sideways from its original path towards him. With one fluid motion, he bent his upper body backwards, sliding under the blade, and then dropping to the ground and kicking up and forward in the path of her arm. When boot and hand connected, Mara gave a brief cry of pain, but stifled it quickly in the presence of the enemy as her saber went sliding down the corridor towards the lift tube.

From his former position, Sillek rolled forward in the opposite direction of his opponent, then leapt to his feet and spun around to plant a roundhouse kick in the young woman's back. His foot, though, was caught in air and she twisted it and spun him around in the air but he managed to keep from falling down and landed squarely on his feet, sword still in hand. Spinning the blade around so that the dull side faced forward, the Quarren raised it in the air over his head, but as he began to swing down, Mara rushed forward and grabbed hold of his upraised arm at the wrist. The two struggled, spinning around as they did and exchanging the directions in which they had been standing when Jade reached up and planted a knee up into Sillek's stomach, the pressure and shock of which caused him to lose strength momentarily and drop his sword to the ground.

_This fight has been going on far too long, _she thought, watching as her opponent began to crumple back a bit. _It's time to end this. _Letting go off his wrist, she grabbed him on both sides of the opening off his cloak, and, not allowing the Quarren any chance to recover, focused all of the energy within her and pushed it out into a powerful slam forward by the invisible hand of the force. As she did, she felt another power come over her, distant yet familiar, empowering her maneuver multiple times more than it would have been previously. Her eyes narrowed and the slightest sign of a smile edged from the corner of her mouth as she let go of his arm and grabbed onto the edge of the Quarren's cloak as he took to the air from the impact and then pulled back on his covering and freed it easily from his form as he went sailing and smashed against the bulkhead with a thunderous crash.

To her pleasure, as his body slowly slid to the ground in a crumpled pile, he did not try to get up again and, thankfully enough, was still alive as quiet mutterings slipped out of his mouth before he went silent. She didn't want to have killed him if at all possible and avoided it whenever possible. If it had not been for her Master's order, Professor Ardina himself might have still have been alive, but what was done was done and it could not be changed. Nor would she if she could, for it was the Emperor's will.

With Sillek's cloak in her hand, Mara withdrew the Sith Holocron from within the hidden pocket on the inner lining and then tossed the garment overtop of the Quarren's body. As she began to walk away, she noticed something on the ground, moving in short wriggling motions. It was one of his facial tentacles. A good length of it, too. Apparently her surprise thrust had caught him more off guard than she had realized since she had managed to cause him some injury. He was a masterful swordsman, and indeed a surprising challenge, but no opponent, no matter their skill, would have stopped her from attaining her prize. With the holocron in tow, she called her lightsaber to her free hand, reattached it to her belt, and strode away, pausing briefly in front of Sillek's unconscious form before making her way to the tube shaft and escape.

* * *

Small sparks of electricity danced in the air from the newly bared wires and stung the evergreen hand which had released them. Doing his best to ignore them, Dorm pressed on in his work, trying to rewire fried circuits and bypass what disabled conduits he needed to get the rest of the ship's systems operational. Glancing up from his work momentarily, his crested head lifted from the small entrance hatch and he watched as his droid assistant muttered to herself and kicked the console at which she worked. "Is everything alright, Leda?"

"This staggin', vape wasted, rust bellied, slag heap! Work!" cursed the LE-series droid, bending down and working busily once more with her laser wrench. Somehow this didn't instill the greatest sense of comfort in the Vurk mechanic.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

The droid's voice seemed almost to change immediately, taking a sweet alto as she turned to her master, yellow photoreceptor cutting through the shadows. "No, dear, but thank you all the same."

He grunted an acknowledgment in his natural voice, fusing two wires into one stable thread. A light hearted tune filled the air, hummed from Dormanin's raspy voice, as their work progressed steadily, a chorus of charging and activating electronics joining the chorus with the sounds of life. From behind, though, he felt as though he could sense a movement and then saw Leda pause and stand up straight from her work. A tool in her hand, she turned and began to rush towards the chamber's entrance. However, the repair droid seemed to stop in her tracks, bright illuminations leaping across her pale frame. Dorm stood to his feet and rushed over to where she stood, like some peculiar still life, caught frozen in the actions of a second. Upon her chest, a disk sat embedded, clawed extensions stretched from its sides and embedding into her chassis.

"It's a DEMP disk. Zuckuss' own creation." Glancing quickly to the doorway, the Vurk's eyes narrowed and he began to bare his teeth in anger at the presence of the hunters Zuckuss and 4-LOM, the former who was addressing him now. "Zuckuss remembered that lovely droid from earlier on the station, so I thought an Electomagnetic Pulse device might be handy on this hunt."

"You monsters…"

"Your droid is not harmed." 4-LOM droned, raising his concussion rifle up and pointing the weapon straight for Dormanin's ample torso. "The strength of the pulse was relatively weak. She is simply shut down temporarily. Your existence, however, might not be as assured if you try to attempt an escape. This rifle is quite capable of permanently disabling your organic form."

Dorm lifted his hands and clasped them behind his neck, all the while keeping a cold glare upon his captors, his features held as terse as stone. "I assume you are here for the Professor."

"Affirmative."

With an air of confidence in his steps, Zuckuss marched around, examining the stature and build of the Vurk mechanic which was now at their mercy. "You will tell us where he is. If you do, we may very well leave you unharmed." The Gand reached back with one three-fingered hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "That little maneuver of yours on the station hurt, you know. Neither 4-LOM nor Zuckuss have forgotten. If you are most prompt in your answer, though, we may forget that little incident."

Nearly a minute passed and sound neither came from Dorm's mouth nor his translator, much to the hunters' ire, punctuated by the blunt jab of the dispersal dish of a sonic pistol in the small of his back. "Zuckuss assures you this is no joke. If you tell us where the professor is, I'll set my pistol to stun; if not, let's say they may be picking your remains from the ship's systems for quite some time."

"Do then as you will."

The two paused momentarily, the droid 4-LOM moving his head slightly to the side and locking eyes with his partner. Zuckuss, in turn, nodded, took a few steps back, and began to adjust the settings upon the pistol. One arm outstretched, he paused before he pressed down on the trigger button, giving the larger being one last chance to speak. It was a well-planned decision, as a voice finally broke the silence, though it was not Dormanin's.

"_Alright, folks, we've got more bad news. The professor's dead and someone's got his artifact. Spread out and find them. We can't let the hunters escape."_

Dorm sighed, his body slouching in defeat. "Oh Captain Marikk, no…"

There was no vocal communication between the hunters, though the Gand made a motion with his hand and signaled for his partner to head out. Moving a finger on the weapon's controls once more, he chuckled under his breath. "Well then, Vurk, you've been most informative. A pity Zuckuss must be going now."

The relative silence erupted into a great screeching wail that seemed to claw upon Dorm's mind. Both hands upon his head, he began to lower himself to a kneeling position, the room spinning around him before finally descending into darkness.

Looking over the fallen body of the immense reptiloid, Zuckuss tapped its body with the tip of his boot, and, when satisfied that it was completely unconscious, stepped over it and stepped slowly out of the engine room in triumph.

* * *

Mara moved swiftly through the inside of the old cruiser once the holocron was in her possession; running, climbing and trying to keep herself unseen as she made her way towards the airlock. Standing in the corridor that lead into the octagonal chamber connected to the twin air locks, one on each side, she let a feeling of victory sweep claim her being, though she tried to keep herself from lowering her defenses. With confident strides, she entered the main chamber and looked from left to right, trying to decide which ship to take. By the force, she made sure there were no presences on either of the two to impede her departure. Stepping to her left, she began to work at the docking controls and opened the hatch, but that was not the only door within the room to open then. The young woman spun around, checking momentarily to make sure the Sith holocron was secure inside the pocket upon her belt, and placed her hand at her hip. Both Zuckuss and 4-LOM had their weapons drawn at this point.

"Well," began the Gand, slightly surprised. "Zuckuss was expecting Darquc or Fwee to be the ones trying to escape with the Holocron. Who are you?"

"Your worst nightmare if you don't leave me be. Now back off or you'll be regretting it all the way to the Bacta tank."

"Foolish creature. I cannot foresee any possible threat posed by- -" The threat assessment that 4-LOM was spouting was quickly interrupted as it soon found itself off its feet and on its back upon the deck-plating from the impact of several rapid fire blaster shots.

"As I was saying…" Mara turned, narrowing her eyes as she locked gazes with Zuckuss and holstering her blaster. "Now then, care to give it a try?"

"Zuckuss will not be deterred by some fool woman!" Bracing his feet, he squeezed the trigger upon his snare rifle, the weapon spraying a faint mist of gas into the air and then following moments later with the liquid spraynet canister. From her opposite hip, Mara's lightsaber flipped up into her hand and sprung to life. With one swift movement, the canister was rendered in two and went sailing off to her sides as she reached out a hand and created quick rush of pressure that pushed the mist back down the corridor. All the while, Zuckuss stood there dumb-founded, having completely underestimated his opponent. Before he could react, or even realize it, she was upon him, spinning around and slamming her boot into his helmet. The Gand hunter himself went spinning into the air and crashed against the wall.

Sweeping a red hair from her forehead, she wrinkled her nose at the two of them and sprinted back to the boarding tube. Mara arrived finally in front of the final two doors before she could finally escape. She reached out with the force, slowly parting them so that she could make her way to freedom, but there were still those who had other plans.

The farthest end of the boarding tube erupted into a great flaming blaze of wreckage, severing it and an entire section of the airlock from the _Nova Hound_. Cold hands clasped to her body as the vacuum summoned her unto it, but with a quick snap of her arm, Mara took hold of the _Void Prowler's_ hatch and began to pull herself to safety. Her belt, though, was not as lucky as it was severed by a piece of flying shrapnel and was pulled quickly into the ever increasing gap between the former Republic ship and the now drifting bounty hunter craft. She reached out with the force, tugging on it as she tried to keep herself from being sucked into the void and finally got her free hand on of its end. As she began to pull it to her by her hand, the pocket which held the holocron was pulled open by the pressure and the device went tumbling out Several more volleys of laser fire, sailing through with red hot fury, and, in a burst that seemed quite larger than such a small device should have caused, obliterated the Sith holocron into a sea of shimmering crystal shards. Those feelings of victory that had filled Mara's heart now dispersed just as did the pieces of the holocron, watching its pyramidal body one moment and the next a great white explosion and the release of an almost demonic looking bolt of energy that roared in pain.

Nothing left for her, Mara Jade pulled herself it, lightsaber and blaster in tow, sealed the hatch, retracted what little of the boarding tube was left and made her way to the assault ship's bridge. From there, she saw in the main viewport a blood red craft, a Skipray Blastboat, swoop down towards the cruiser and force its way into a connection with the mangled airlock where her ship had been and, at the same time, watched the crescent Byblos G-1A transport on the other side of the ship remove itself from dock and speed away before jumping into hyperspace.

She, too, followed in kind, setting the coordinates in into the _Void Prowler_'s nav computer and took flight back to Brentaal where her own ship awaited her.

* * *

"Medicine vials, spray splint, synthe-nutrient replicator, bacta patches, scanner, spray hypo, chromostring dispenser, laser cauterizer." A single light yellow finger bobbed over and pointed at each of the items inside the knapsack in succession as they were listed off. "Everything's checked and ready." Having determined that all her things were in order, Shalla gave a hurried nod, slung the sack's strap over the right shoulder pad of her tan leather vest and then hurried out of the make-shift medical.

Captain Marikk had called her over three minutes ago with some report of Sillek having been found injured and unconscious outside his quarters a deck below her. The extent of his injuries was really rather difficult to discern at how quick a pace the Duro had spoken, prattling off hers in a series of different orders to the crew, so she had decided to grab a wide range of tools just in case.

The young Twi'lek's lekku twitched slightly at a brief chill in the air as she wound around the corner and into the chamber containing the lift tube. Its doors were already pried wide open from constant use. Taking a step forward, Shalla poked her head into the tube and then looked up and down into the shadows before taking a step back.

Heights. Of all things she had to be scared of, why did it have to be heights? She paced about momentarily, fidgeting her arms around in front of her and trying to muster her courage. "This is foolish… I'm 20 years old. I shouldn't be afraid of heights. Then again, what does age have to do with that?" A glance down the shaft again and she shuffled backwards. "What if the systems come back on and the lift starts to come upon me? What if I fall? What if….bah! I'm acting like a child! Sillek's in trouble and here I am scuttling around like a frightened Chadra-fan."

Setting her jaw, the medic stepped towards the doorway again, a forced bravery in her steps as she then stretched one arm out onto the tube wall and felt for the shaft's emergency ladder. As she did, Shalla caught what she thought was the sound of something clatter around behind her. She looked back quickly in alarm, but saw nothing but the shadows and the crimson shrouded entrance to the salon pod. Another attempt into the tube shaft and again, most definitely this time, she heard the sound. Likewise, again, she made to turn around but froze in place as she felt a snort of hot breath along the back of her neck and her lekku and a deep, bestial growl rumble behind her. There came next a sound, a voice, as cold as ice and like stone scraping against stone.

"Do not move a muscle, woman," it spoke slowly. "I have come for a hunt, one way or another. Tell me now and tell me swiftly…where is this Alderaanian and the holocron?"

"Y…you mean Dr. Ardina?" came the shaky response.

Again it spoke, repeating its previous statement. "Where is the Alderaanian and the holocron?"

"The professor is dead. The holo…whatever… I don't know. I guess one of you hunters has it."

"Damn. They're already gone." Placing a hand nearly as large as the girl's head on her shoulder, the T'surr hunter spun the Twi'lek around violently and forced her face to face and kept her heels just on the edge of the shaft. Only his four glowing vermilion eyes were clearly visible in the shadows, his formerly blue now violet features outlined lightly by the red light and his teeth glistening even in the darkness. If her body were not frozen, she would have screamed as she stared at this beast that had seemed to crawl from her nightmares. "I'll tell you, I am a very sore loser. If I cannot claim the holocron for this hunt, I will find some other prize to take with me."

Karyk removed his hand from her shoulder and gripped her by the bottom jaw, his claws cutting her supple flesh as lifted her into the air and held her out over the expanse of the shaft. "You shall do quite nicely. Now then, what shall I choose? Shall your skull decorate my belt or shall your hide line my pilot's chair?"


	6. Chapter Six

"Master…"

Mara's stomach tightened as she spoke the word in her mind, holding her knees to her chin as she sat in the mesh covered pilot's chair, watching the swirling, morphing lights of hyperspace around her. It felt like that great tumult that she was now watching through the viewport was moving in the pit of her being as well.

"_What is the status of you assignment, child?"_ came the Emperor's baleful tone moments later._ "Might I trust that you have been successful? You do know the great… _displeasure_ I take in failure."_

She sat there and stared down at her legs, saying nothing, but already, should felt a sense of impatience emanating from her master at her delay. "Professor Ardina… is dead, at your request, Master."

"_Excellent. And the holocron?" _Again Mara was silent. This was all the answer the Emperor needed.

"_I have not trained you for failure, Mara Jade,"_ he responded quickly, slithering across her mind with a razor's edge. _"Nor will I except failure. How that such a simple task as this was beyond your means?_

"I _had_ obtained it, but by a twist of fate it escaped my grasp. It was destroyed by a stray laser blast." Immediately, a wave of emotion swept over her body, surrounding her; constricting her. Her own feelings were amplified ten fold… fear, displeasure at her failure, depression…soon joined by the anger, the disappointment, the disgust and the scorn that radiated from the very presence of the Emperor as it raged within her, causing her to physically shake. The pain would not be as horrible had she had been physically assaulted rather than this punishment her master now buffeted against her. It was an assault to her very soul.

"_You will return to Imperial Center immediately. There is more training that you require… to root out these defects from your being. I will have neither fear nor weakness nor any other impurity within you that would sully my Hand."_

"As you wish… my master."

And then she was alone, and so very cold as she drifted alone through the darkness of the void.

* * *

The walls almost seemed to reverberate with the low grumbling that came from below him. It was hard to make out clearly from a distance the words in those resonant snarls, but what he could hear clearly was the weak speech of his friend, the Twi'lek medic Shalla Zar. Reaching to his holster, Abras withdrew his well-weathered blaster pistol and continued down the ladder within the tube shaft by one hand. His eyes remained trained on the faint light and the figures within the doorway now directly beneath him.

A single mammoth arm, clad in crimson and pitch-tinted battle armor, was all of the warrior that he could make out from his position. Lifting the blaster's scope to his eye, he took careful aim at the junction where the armor and the T'surr's hand were separated. Sights aligned and the lone blaster bolt screeched forward from the barrel and found its target, impacting mostly on the armor yet still scorching the skin upon its hand. The beast doubled back and released the young Twi'lek which had been his captive, and, with a blood-curdling scream, she began to plummet into the darkness. No time to loose, Abras leaped into action.

Re-holstering his side-arm, he withdrew a small grappling hook from his opposite hip, tied one end of it to the ladder and then dove down after Shalla, a enthusiastic whoop echoing out as he did. Within seconds, he had caught up with her in their descent, his bangs flying back in his face as he snatched her up into his arm. The suddenness of the rescue left her startled, fearing that it was Karyk trying to fish her up, but when her eyes finally locked with the sea green of Abras', she felt peace.

"I've come to the rescue," the young man called, an awkward smile on his face as he held her in his arm.

"So I see, and it's most definitely appreciated."

"I couldn't let that nerfing…oof!" His thought was jostled as the pair came to an all too sudden halt in their decent, sending them both lurching downwards before, to their dread, beginning an unwelcome ascent. "Oh Sith spit."

Neither of them said anything as soon they were both staring eye to eye to eye with the snarling Karyk as he held their rope, and they attached, up by one hand. "Cretin. Did you think you would escape me so easily?"

"Honestly, yeeee…ahhhh!"

The clawed grip of the T'surr furiously took hold of Abras' right forearm, prying it from Shalla and then catching her as she began to drop. Pressure increased upon his arm and the young man let out a pained howl as his arm began to crack and crack again. Karyk raised his lip, bearing his dagger teeth, before he tossed his male prey behind him with such force that the cable attached snapped as he flew. Turning its gaze back to Shalla, it looked almost as if the beast smiled, if that was at all possible.

"Now then, where were we?"

"You….were just about to say…. goodbye."

Karyk turned and watched as a small sphere rolled over to him across the floor, stopping at the light touch against his boot. Spying it cautiously, his eyes widened in recognition as it finally clicked in his mind, but it was too late. The spark grenade detonated in a burst of luminescence, sending a crippling blow of electricity through its body, causing it to drop his captive to the floor at the force of the blow. By the time the munition's power had ceased, the T'surr stood there motionless, his face twisted into an even more ghastly snarl, smoke rising from his body. There was no further reaction from him, though, as his great bulk toppled backwards, stiff as a sheet of durasteel, and plummeted down the tube shaft and impacted with a resounding thud.

Shifting to her knees, Shalla crawled across the chamber to where Abras laid, the two again locking eyes as she smiled warmly and planted a light peck upon his cheek, "Thank you. Thank you, truly, dear soul."

"Eh, it was nothing. No sweat." His voice and body were weak, but he tried to force a coy smile onto his face which caused his Twi'lek companion to giggle.

"Yeah, well it may be no sweat, but apparently it _is_ one broken arm." With delicate fingers and an even more delicate touch, she rolled up his sleeve and took a look at his mangled right arm. Her expression gave him the general idea of the situation he was in.

"Give it to me strait, doc. Am I gonna live?"

"Oh don't be so melodramatic. Yes, you're gonna live, but you won't be using this arm for quite a while."

With curiosity, Abras watched as she searched through her knapsack and began towithdraw the equipment she needed. While she wasn't watching, he placed his hand upon hers, the one she was using to prop herself up with, and grinned as her face flushed from yellow to a bright orange. Almost like a divine sign of approval, light flooded the chamber without warning and the rest of the ship as systems began to come back online, both of them flinching at the sudden shock of the light, and a voice called out in the silence.

"_Shalla, where in the void are you!? It's been nearly fifteen minutes and we're still waiting here outside Sillek's quarters."_

She reached down to her belt and withdrew her own comlink, smiling briefly, then, as she felt Abras' hand upon her cheek, wiping away spots of blood and, at the same time, the irritation she felt at her fellow crew member's impatience. "Well, I'm sorry. I would have been there sooner, Crae, but I've been a bit busy. I ran into some hunter trouble on the deck above."

"_Hunters!? Good gracious, are you alright!?"_

"Yeah, I'm fine…with a little help from a friend." The two exchanged glances once more, smile echoing smile. "I'm treating a few injuries here, but I'll be there soon as I possible can. In the meantime, someone may want to fish our big blue friend off of the lift tube."

There was no response at first, but the sound of laughter of Craeldo and several others soon echoed over the comlink. _"Yeah, sure, I'll get to it right away. I've got a few friends here myself we need to take care of, but I may just have an idea."_

* * *

Satoorn Fwee cowered as the assembled beings gathered in a half circle around him, their shadows falling down darkly upon him as he backed up towards the wall. A Duro, a Vurk, a Rodian and a Human. All these now surrounded him; glaring down at him, forcing him into this tight spot.

"Now then, my little friend, we have a little proposition for you," began the Duro, a devious grin upon his face and swept his hand outward towards the Blastboat that sat embedded in the _Nova Hound'_s hull to their left, where the one airlock had once been.  
"We have your Dashade friend and the T'surr hunter resting soundly on the ship, wrapped up snuggly in cargo meshing. Enough to keep them restrained for now, but not for too long after they awake. What we would like _you_ to do is get this big red eye sore out of my ship and fly all of your force-forsaken bodies out of here and never show up again."

Gulping, the Phuii tried to put on a brave front. "A…and if I's d…don't?"

"Well, let's see," with that same grin upon his face that sent a shiver down Fwee's spine, the Captain looked to his cohorts, some cracking their knuckles, others brandishing pistols, vibro-blades, stun batons and the like. "I suppose we could do _something_ with you. Aye, boys?"

Those with him grumbled and growled in agreement.

"Whatever route we might take, you're still gonna end up on that ship. Only in this scenario, you'll be unconscious when your friends in there wake up as you all are drifting about in space. And I doubt they'll be all too happy when they _do_ wake up."

"Especially the T'surr," chimed in the human in response, one of his arms held up against his chest by a sling. "He had a rather humiliating defeat, so his awakening should be most… enthusiastic."

"So, here are your choices, friend. Get this ship out of here of your own volition, while you can still defend yourself, or drift helplessly through space with your ravenous compatriots. What will it be… what _will_ it be?"

Eyes heavy and shoulders equally so, Satoorn lowered his head and gulped again. "I's will gets the ship outta here."

"Wise move." Leading him with a hand on the shoulder, the Duro Captain led the young Fwee to the partially lowered landing ramp and gave him a light shove forward. "Now I suggest you get going and seek landfall before they awake, if you value your being."

"Y…yes, yes. Thank you, oh benevolent ones!" With a bow, the diminutive creature spun around and scampered up the landing ramp, prepping the ship and flying off in _Razorfang _as quickly as he could get it going_, _leaving the crew of the _Nova Hound_ there, and watching in silence from the shielded wound in their ship. Their ploy of intimidation had worked.

* * *

The Corellian sun was warm upon his back as Captain Danar made his way into the docking bay and towards the ship, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped and head hung low as he shuffled along. In the distance, a sand warbler sang its mournful song.

His boot steps were heavy as he marched up the landing ramp, the sound increasing as he entered into the confines of the ship. At the top of the incline, he paused and let out a sigh.

"Such a dire expression. If I didn't know you any better, I'd say the meeting with Ardina's family didn't go well, but that's not it. Not completely, at least."

Marikk glanced up and, to his left, saw Sillek resting against the wall, eyes shut and arms crossed across his chest. A small smile cracked the edge of the Duro's face. "Well, it's good to see you up and around at last, Sillek." He stopped and said no more until the Quarren's blue eyes opened at last and seemed to beckon him on. "The meeting with the Professor's family went quite well, actually, despite the whole shock of the situation. It was his grandson and family. I wasn't even aware the Professor had been married. I… I was expecting more distant kin. Anyway, they thanked me for helping him and bringing his body back to them, at the very least. Then we parted ways"

"And how are you?"

"Well, you know me…"

"That I do, Marikk, that I do, so you should know by now that there's no game you can play that can fool me."

His shoulders lifted with a light chuckle the Duro locked eyes with Sillek. "Ya know, you're a little too perceptive for your own good, sometimes." Walking to the other side of the doorway, opposite the Quarren, Captain Marikk stretched out his legs and mimicked his old friend's stance. "It _is_ hard. I'll admit that. I took on the responsibility of protecting Professor Ardina and the holocron… and I failed miserably. Not only did I have to deliver his corpse to his family instead of the man himself, but the holocron is lost as well. The one thing he most wanted protected, even more so than himself, and now… who knows what has happened to it. This all has been a complete and utter…. _an utter failure!_"

"This does not sound like the Marikk I've known for all these years."

"I know, I know. I tried to conquer these feelings earlier, when I first found him in his room, but this whole situation… it's culled them back up."

"Listen to me well, my friend. You fought valiantly in hopes of success for Professor Ardina's goals, and yes, there have been failures, but we do not know it has all been a total loss. Though while possible that woman may have escaped with the holocron, with all the chaos that was going on we do not know for sure. You could not have foreseen such an action, and you did what you thought was your best chance for success. If there has been a failure, then I, too, would be equally at fault for losing the holocron, but failures should not necessarily be looked at in a negative light. If such has made you stronger, and you have taken from it what you need to achieve success next time, then there was a purpose to it after all. That is what I was taught in my younger days and so have I seen to be true even today."

Standing from his place, Sillek walked over, stood before Marikk and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Take this situation. Learn from it and grow stronger, but first, you must pull yourself out of this sorrow that's enveloped you. Do not let this time go to waste."

Marikk reached up and placed his own hand onto Sillek's outstretched arm. "Thank you….thank you, indeed. I will." He shook his head and smiled, a smile much more accustomed to his usual countenance. "Well then, this isn't right. All this wailing from me and I haven't even asked how you are."

A slight smile appeared in Sillek's countenance. "I am well. My body is still sore and there is an occasional twinge in my tentacles, but thanks to Shalla's quick work, I should be fine in a matter of days."

"Good." Marikk's eyes glanced down quickly and locked on that unnaturally shortened appendage that hung rather limply upon the Quarren's face, the lower edge of it wrapped in clean white dressings. He cringed ever so slightly before being snapped out of his momentary daze when Sillek finally spoke up.

"Dormanin was able to contact the repair master on Chandrila station and passed on an explanation of what happened earlier. As previously agreed upon, we received the coordinates to the planet Vaynai and directions on whom to visit upon our arrival."

"Very good. Yes, very good indeed. " With a stretch of his arms, the Captain stood up straight and waved his companion on towards the lift tube. "Then let's not wait any longer. The stars await."

* * *

The bridge crew worked busily at their individual stations, prepping their wounded _Hound_ for flight. Thanks to Dorm and Leda's quick work, the ship was now at least operational, though they wouldn't want to wait too much longer before getting repairs taken care of.

With his usual skill, Marikk got the ship up and off into the air, piloting them through the skies over Corellia. As the blue sky melted away from sight, replaced with the inky blackness of space in the viewport, he felt a presence approach him from behind.

"Marikk!"

Knowing the voice immediately, the Captain grinned as a datapad suddenly appeared in front of his face. "Loon, to what do I owe the pleasure now? What's this?"

"Well, read it!" the half-breed retorted in anticipation.

Scanning through the pad, he found on it a note penned by the Professor himself, shortly before his death:

_Captain Marikk,_

_With the current troubles now enveloping the ship, I wanted to take this time now that I have here in my quarters to leave you this note, should things turn awry. Thank you, good sir, for all of the trouble you and your crew have gone to make sure that I and my package escaped Imperial clutches. I cannot begin to tell you how much your kindness means to me._

_Likewise, though, I do not believe that you should go unrewarded for your efforts. As you'll see by checking your personal accounts, there has been a sudden increase of roughly two hundred-thousand credits. This is but a pittance to what you should really be accorded, but hopefully it can be put to good use._

_Thank you, again, for all that you and the crew of the Nova Hound have done. Until we speak again in safer and happier times, be well._

_In your gratitude,_

_Professor Constantin Ardina_

For once, Marikk was speechless. Despite all that had happened… or rather, all that _was_ going on, the Professor had still managed to see safer and happier times ahead. In Ardina's memory, so would he, taking this time now to grow, as he had learned from Sillek. Datapad in hand, he stuffed it into his pocket. "I'll keep this, if you don't mind."

"Of course. I had found it earlier on the middle of the dining table when I was passing by his former quarters. I knew you definitely would want to see it."

Again, and as usual, the Captain smiled, it was a mixture of bittersweet happiness on his face. "And right you were. Now, I suggest you find a seat, we'll be leaving shortly." His cousin nodded and retreated as Marikk worked busily at the controls. It took him but a moment to input the coordinates and double check everything before it was finally time. Reaching to his hip, he withdrew his comlink into hand. "Hold on, everyone, we're about to make the jump into hyperspace. Vaynai, here we come."

Space warped around them as the hyperdrive engine hummed to life and sent them accelerating forward. In a flash, the _Nova Hound_ was gone, leaving Corellia behind them, but the events leading up to it far from forgotten.

* * *

The chamber was completely dark, not the slightest sign of light or a single cast shadow was visible. Then, at its center, two circular panels began to glow with a pale blue light and rise from the flooring as the holonet transceiver rose from the floor and came to life, bathing the Admiral in its light as the projection. Two beings appeared, one an older human male with widow-peaked black hair and thick creases running down the sides of his mouth, the other a figure in robes, his face shrouded.

"_Admiral Elric, what do you have to report?" _

Hands clenched at the small of his back, the Admiral bowed to the two. He was an older being, his gray hair being the fact that most distinguished this point for there were few wrinkles upon his stern face. "I'm afraid I have received negative replies from all of our Hunters on the pursuit of Professor Ardina."

"_And these were the best hunters you could find?"_

"The best that were available, though all are highly respected in their field. It seemed, though, that the Professor was dead upon arrival, I'm afraid. Someone else had beaten them to it, a woman according to the report given by the Gand Zuckuss, Moff."

There was an obvious disgust in the Moff's demeanor as his gaze bore down upon Admiral Elric. _"And the fate of the Holocron?"_

"According to scans taken from the sensor banks of the T'surr hunter's ship, it was apparently destroyed in crossfire during the unknown assailants escape. Apparently the one called Karyk had opened fire on one of his rival's ship, which then led to its destruction."

"_These hunters are worse than wild dogs, at times," _spat the Moff, his mouth curling in disgust. _ "Fools. While this is a setback, indeed, we shall soon try to find another way of fulfilling our plans. I am transmitting a series of coordinates to your database now, Admiral. I want you to send out scout ships to each of these locations. According to our research, these places may be our best hope at finding the information we require. You have your orders. Report back to me when you have obtained results_."

Again, the Admiral bowed as the projection of the Moff and his shrouded companion faded and all again was darkness. With quick strides, he withdrew himself from the communications chamber and made his way back to the Star Destroyer's bridge. There was much work still to be done.


End file.
